


Harry Potter and the Immortal of Azkaban

by ExcaliburStuckInMyStoneHeart



Series: A Techno Mage [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Merlin (TV)
Genre: Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, F/M, Gen, Immortality, Magic, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Muggle Technology, Muggles, clueless merlin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 59,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24685486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExcaliburStuckInMyStoneHeart/pseuds/ExcaliburStuckInMyStoneHeart
Summary: When all the death eaters broke out of Azkaban they woke a certain prisoner who has been in there for a very long time. Practically as long as the prison has been built maybe even longer. Was he put there because he committed some atrocious crime? No, nothing so dark and dreary.Immortality to some seems like a blessing, some people strive for it, kill for it even. But some see it as a curse of an endless life. Some people wish they were just normal human beings. Living a 100-year lifespan. Maybe even the wizarding 200-year lifespan but no more. One man wishes for death. But could never grasp it. Until he meets the master of it. Or at least the soon to be master.Coming into a new world with Dark Lords and young children fighting in a war they need not fight. An old sorcerer joins the battle.
Series: A Techno Mage [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1857568
Comments: 271
Kudos: 502





	1. A Dark and Dank Place

**Author's Note:**

> Don't ask me why I thought this was a good idea. I have so many other Fanfictions that are not done, but this brainchild happened two days ago. And I could not put it to rest. So the updates will be a little bit slow but I am really working on these chapters putting in more effort than I probably do on any other fanfiction I write. 
> 
> Anyway, this is a Merlin / Harry Potter crossover fanfiction. It starts at the very beginning of book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. And will continue until the end of the last three books. From the point of the story forget about the cannon because it's not going to follow the exact storyline. Some major Canon points will be brought up throughout the story but otherwise, it's going to be my brainchild from there on out. 
> 
> {Edit}The timeline is a little wonky, once the world starts to form better I'll put out a more official timeline, that works for this story.
> 
> Please Enjoy:

The echoing of the insane screams, the deep, sticky feeling of sweat sticking to their skin was a constant every day for a prisoner of Azkaban. The small cramped cells and the blistering skin from chains tied too tight—the eerie chill of the Dementor‘s passing by. The tormented dreams and continuous depressing thoughts are all that fill the minds of the damned prisoners. The atrocious crimes they committed deemed them to get horrible treatment.

Only the worst of wizards and witches were sent here. So, of course, only the worst treatment was expected. And those that we’re not there were fatally kissed by the Dementor‘s so that they were no more. The prison has been here for over 500 years, housing some of the worst and most atrocious criminals in all wizardkind.

It wasn’t always a prison. Though that depends on who you ask, if you ask the countless Muggles that were tortured and murdered here, then for sure, it was a prison. But if you asked the old owner of this island, then maybe it was his paradise. This island was always a home of the dark arts, the fact that played it true was how many Dementor‘s it homed. Some people were against the building of a prison, some people wanted to get rid of the Dementor’s all together for fear of those detestable creatures. But their fear of the creatures left them no choice but to leave the island to them.

For the fear, they might one day get out and harbor a grudge to those who took their home. Creatures of mist and impossible to kill, the Dementor‘s were feared by every witch and wizard of the good and the bad. So instead of taking their home away from them, they left them to guard a prison where no man nor woman would be able to escape from a Dementor‘s grasp. 

The perfect prison, guards that never took breaks, an island undetected by any maps, Dementor’s sucking the will out of all its prisoners. Every prisoner who walked into those walls never walked out again, and all went insane, just like it was intended when they made it a prison in the first place. Nobody cared about what happened to the prisoners; as long as on the outside, it seemed like it was working everyone was happy with how Azkaban kept its most tormented souls at bay.

Did they know about the horrible treatment that happened inside? Did they know about the graveyard built soon after opening? Did they know all those prisoners died of despair? No, every minister of magic decided to turn a blind eye to the horrible treatment of the prisoners. So it continued for 500 years as one of the worst prisons incarcerating many horrible wizards and witches.

One of the main reasons why nobody ever complained was the unbreakable track record of no escapees. Well, no, that’s not right. It was broken by a mother who smuggled her child out and took the child’s place in Azkaban. _But nobody remembers that._ The children of today don’t remember that break out.

No, the one on everyone’s mind is of Sirius Black. A horrid murderer and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named sympathizer, after betraying friends and murdering some more Muggles and wizards, he was thrown into Azkaban without trial. But most people felt like he didn’t need a trial considering the horrible atrocities that he committed. When he broke out, it flashed on the news for days on end. ‘Sirius Black Sighted’ outlined the newspaper the Daily Prophet, for months. 

But they never did catch that dastardly villain. He vanished without a trace. Nobody knew how he escaped. And nobody knew where he went. He was gone, just like that. And the world moved on, people forgot that Sirius Black was a threat. Harry Potter, the boy who lived, the one who everyone thought was the most in jeopardy, was still alive, as good as ever. And the commotion died down.

But the news of his escape spread far and wide—all the way to the other prisoners rotting away in their cells at Azkaban. The old prisoners strike up conversations with new prisoners, and the chain of information spread throughout Azkaban. The escape of Sirius Black sparked the catalyst of events to follow. 

Today a dark and dreary day like any other on this horrid island. The screams of despair and the moans of melancholy fill the air. The mad prisoners of Azkaban screaming and banging on the walls, they’re going out of their minds just as they do every other day. One prison cell deep down in the bowels of Azkaban lies a very small cell.

Barely fit for a man, but inside was squeezed a 6-foot tall young man. Grimy hair matted to his face, dirt, and grime obscuring the view of his skin. His ragged and torn prison garb basically ripped to shreds. His deteriorated blanket on the bed far too small for a man of that size. Chains wrapped around his ankle, rubbing the skin a bloody red.

But the man seemed none the wiser as he slept soundlessly, not appearing to be tormented by the nightmares that the Dementor's inflict. This man has been in prison for a very long time. Almost too long, no matter what crime he committed. He’s been in this prison since day one. Locked up in a cell and forgotten throughout time. Nobody remembers his name or that he’s even incarcerated in these cold stone walls. Nobody really ever ventures this far down deep in the dark, dank prison.

No need to go closer to the middle of the prison, since the more Dementors are found there. The more the Dementor’s congregate, the more the dark and depressing your thoughts get as you’re in the vicinity of them. Not even the Aurors transporting prisoners go in that deep lest they go insane themselves.

But on a day like today, something different happened. The chilling screams still rattled the air. The overall feeling of despair still was felt by every prisoner. Nothing seemed amiss, yet that was not the case. As four prisoners decided today was the day. The day to escape. And they successfully got out of their cells and went on a rampage throughout the prison. They were unlocking every single cell in their wake. No matter what criminal was sitting inside that cell, their door was opened.

One woman, a particularly nasty witch by the name of Bellatrix Lestrange, delved deep into the prison, far deeper than she meant to go, opening cells in her wake, unlocking the chains around the prisoner's ankles and arms. Stumbling upon the last cell, she opens the door to find a sleeping man. Unlocking his chain and cackling, she runs down the hall back the way she came. 

Unbeknownst to that witch, her laughing woke up the slumbering man. One bleary blue eye cracked open. An eye as blue as the night sky. The only bit of life that seemed to spark on the slouched figure. He slowly got up, leaning against the wall of the door to his cell. He takes a quick peek outside to see multiple prisoners crawling their way out of their cell. He has a confused look on his face as if he’s not sure exactly what’s happening.

But he follows their lead, walking all the way to the entrance. It was a long walk, but for some reason, he was more agile and not as dreary or tired as the other prisoners. He quickly walked all the way to the front entrance and walked onto the sandy beaches. His bare feet scrunching up in the sand, feeling the warmth, something he hasn’t felt in a very long time. He takes his hand to cover from the harsh sunlight on seemingly nocturnal eyes. He watches as the misty figures of the Dementor‘s glide on by trying to catch all of the prisoners that were escaping.

The Dementor’s didn’t really affect him as they did every other living creature. His magic was so bright and so pure that the Dementor‘s shied away from him. He was like a personal Dementor repellent. The dark and depressing thoughts still went rampant within the man's mind but otherwise little to no effect. When the man noticed how prisoners were being forced back into the prison, he noticed the Dementors coming at him, yet he didn’t want to go back in.

He felt like something was calling to him to not go back. So unlike the wizards of today instead of apparating away from there, even though it had anti-apparating wards, a great wind started up around his feet swirling in a tornado-like fashion around his body. The wind picked up going faster and faster until you can no longer see the man standing there. The Dementor‘s shied away from that spot, backing up. When the wind finally died down, the place where the man stood, was empty.

On this day, there was a mass breakout from the almost impenetrable Azkaban. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always I got way too excited after writing the first two chapters and I couldn't wait to post it. This happens every time even though I said I want to do it differently oh, I could never stop myself. I hope you like the first chapter oh, the next chapter will start meeting some other characters and I think the story is going to take a turn nobody really expects which is why I'm going to enjoy riding it.
> 
> I already have a written look full plot for all three books. I just have to add detail and continue from that point on but since I have an idea where this is going to go I think this will be a really good series.
> 
> Leave a comment letting me know if it's good so far and if you want more!


	2. A 500 Year Leap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm back. I had written this chapter when I wrote chapter one but I needed to finish it. Seeing as I did finish it I decided to upload it because I know many people are excited to read the story. 
> 
> I'm graduating from college in a few days so I will not be uploading any chapters for the next few days since I'm going to be spending time with my family and maybe go on a picnic. 
> 
> Anyway, I'm glad everyone's enjoying the story so far and I hope you like this chapter as well. I'll be writing the next chapter while I'm indisposed for these past few days but I won't upload it cuz it takes a while to do that.

The loud sounds of London traffic. Double Decker buses clogging up the road as well as black taxis picking up wayward Muggles. The endless foot traffic of moving humans from one spot to another. The signs of a bustling city. The clock struck 12 in the afternoon, to signal lunch for some people, but just meaning more bustling as more people had places to be. The roads became even more congested, and traffic was at a standstill, even though the noise was never stopped, especially the loud blaring noises of one taxi driver with a bit too much road rage.

The endless beep of the horn that was never let go of suddenly stopped. For the driver in the seat was flabbergasted, standing in front of his car was a man that was not there one second ago—a man in ragged clothes and dirty with grime and dirt. Probably foul-smelling as well. Not that the driver could smell anything sitting so comfortably in his car. The man seems aloof to where he was currently standing, looking at the taxi as if it was something magical. He stared at the cars around him and the noise ringing in his ears.

  
Not too, unlike the screams of the insane. From his previous entanglement. But the man seemed wise enough to stagger off the road onto the sidewalk. Many people made sure to avoid him, be it his foul smell, or his dirty attire, or his just weird nature in general, they all shied away from the lone man standing there on the sidewalk. One man, seemingly a random passerby, walked up to the man standing on the sidewalk, all alone tapping his shoulder with two quick taps.

The prisoner's head turned around quite quickly, not expecting to be touched. He stared at the man in front of him, who is dressed in robes that reach the ground, a deep burgundy color, reminding him of his past. The man had a small hat on his head with gray hairs poking out from the sides. He had a short blackish gray goatee that was slowly going more gray than black. He held kind eyes the color of a forest.

And he spoke, “Young man, I don’t know what predicament you have found yourself in, but you must know there are proper apparition points, you cannot just fling yourself into the middle of the road, lest you die or even worse a muggle sees you. Please be careful about future endeavors. Also, I would recommend going shopping for some new clothes, you’d stick out in the muggle world and wizarding world, with what you have on.”

Said the well-meaning wizard as he walked on by down the street, leaving a startled prisoner just standing on the street looking down at his clothes. The man was right, he did stick out like a sore thumb, just standing there in ragged clothing, the man sighed and started to walk to the last place he called home.  
  
No, not the prison, but a small ram shackled home in the lower east side of London. Probably if not for the preservation charms that he placed on the house, it might’ve already deteriorated away. Yet when he walks up the street and stands in front of the property that would be his house, there is nothing there. Well, I shouldn’t say nothing, his home isn’t there for sure, but in its place lies a giant 12 story apartment building.

A fancy building not meant for someone of his state. He gets even dirtier looks while standing outside. The man is a bit perplexed, wondering how exactly his house just disappeared. Well, he does know that it’s not there anymore, but he wonders what happened to all his stuff, considering there was some important stuff in there that he needed.   
  
Begrudgingly he walked up to the front door and walked inside. While he was walking to the front desk, his feet sticking to the hardwood floor, leaving bits and pieces of sand trailing behind him, to the displeasure of every other person in the apartment complex. He walked up to the front desk, not touching it or leaning on it, which was noticed by the lady at the front desk much to her pleasure. One less thing she did not have to scrub clean.

The prisoner, now no longer one, opened his mouth and spoke in a dry voice, one that hasn’t been used in a very long time, ”Hello, my lady, sorry to be a bother, but may I know what happened to the building that was here before this apartment was built. It was a building in my family‘s name, and I’ve come to collect some of the stuff that was in it. I was wondering if you knew where I could do that.”

The woman at the front desk seemed almost shocked at the proper way that he spoke—the use of ‘my lady,’ very outdated in these times. Also, the question was a bit odd; seeing the state of his clothes, she would almost think that he’s lying, but since he was very polite, she decided to check anyway. After scrolling around on her computer for a little bit, she printed out a short document that actually helped the young man.

Funnily enough, there was a tiny home, built on this land before this apartment was built, even though this apartment was built 200 years ago, there was a house here before that. On the piece of paper that she printed a picture of the house was taken blurry and terrible quality compared to the times of now, but a picture of the house nonetheless.

  
There was a listed beneficiary on the document since the government reclaimed the property, he could not claim rights to it, but he could go and collect everything that was taken and stored away from the house. The lady handed over the paper, which was taken reverently from her hands and read by the young man. He smiled after reading through the paper, realizing that even though his house and his property are no longer his, the artifacts that inhabited his house may still be out there in the world and not destroyed like he was fearing.

“Thank you very much, I appreciate it even though I am in this state. So I do have one question: where is this address exactly located so that I can go pick up my things?” The young man asked the lady at the desk, appreciating that she actually helped him when he could’ve been just turned away.

The lady grabbed the paper back, seeming to look at the address that she didn’t pay too close attention to the first time. She recognized the street, and it wasn’t too far from here. She handed him the paper back and took a clean sheet of paper, and wrote straightforward directions with a little map to show him exactly how to get there.

“Here you go, sir, if you follow these directions you should be able to get there in about 10 minutes, it’s not too far from here.” The young woman said with a smile on her face, seemingly having a pleasant conversation with the man even though his haggard state.

The young man gave a deep bow and said his thanks. Taking the two papers and went on his way. Once he left the apartment complex, two other office ladies came by to the one that helped him and started giggling and gossiping about how ugly and gross his state of dress was and how he didn’t belong in these parts.

But the young woman that helped him out didn’t quite agree with her fellow colleagues. But she didn’t speak out seemingly fine, just letting them talk about him as long as she didn’t contribute. She quite enjoyed the conversation she had with the man and didn’t seem to judge him the same as her colleagues anymore. There was just something about him.  
  
The man decides not to apparate lest he gets another warning from some random wizard. He found the term odd, even though he was around for the start of the term, becoming normalized. Sorcerers and sorceresses were his words that he associated with people of magic, but no one went by those names anymore. They now wanted to be called wizards and witches, he guessed all words modernize at some point.

Though most people weren’t alive long enough to see the change. It took him less than 10 minutes to get to the location where the map led him to, seemingly all the people avoided him on the sidewalk, so there was little to no foot traffic for him to traverse through. The building was new looking but definitely been through some wear and tear. It was a small white building made out of a material he wasn’t too sure what it was.

Not brick, just a smooth surface. He wasn’t around really for the invention of concrete, so he wouldn’t know what it was. It looked a little bit bleak, and he preferred the brick pattern, but it wasn’t his building, so what would he do about it. There were large glass doors which seemed to be a new trend, since every single shop had a glass door, no more wooden doors, except maybe for the older looking buildings around the neighborhood.

Making a door out of glass seems kind of stupid to the young man, considering how easily it shatters. But he could imagine buildings made out of glass, yet it seems more of a futuristic idea though. Not that he knew that there were already such buildings created. He only just escaped prison. He was not yet aware of the wonders of the modern world. Even this printed piece of paper he was holding in his hand seems so foreign.

The crisp whiteness of the paper perfectly printed black letters. Even the small obscured photograph of the house, we’re all new inventions that he’s never seen before. He tried not to ogle at all the modern things, he didn’t want to seem different, even though it was a lost cause at this point.   
  
The building seems to be like some sort of storage facility. The sign, mostly decrepit at this point. It appears that no one cared for the wear and tear of the building like it wasn’t essential, and if it just faded into nothingness, no one would care. Carefully opening the glass door, still afraid that it could break, the young man walked into the building. It was empty, not a soul in sight. There were chairs made of some material he did not know the name of, and of bright red color.

Almost like plastic school children, chairs lined one of the walls. Yet not one person was sitting in them. The front desk was made out of wood, yet seems almost the same material as the chairs, it was all new to the old prisoner. On the counter, there were some papers that are written by hand, not whatever the apartment lady gave him. Written by nice handwriting but not as perfect as the paper that he was holding in his hands. There was a light on in the back past where customers could not go. Not knowing exactly how to signal for someone to come, he just decided to call out, doing it the good old fashion way.

“Excuse me? Is there anyone here?” The young man asked seemingly to nothing except someone definitely did hear the man, as there was a crash behind the wall where the man could not see and a bunch of shuffling as if someone was picking themselves off of the floor.

Walking out from behind the wall was a lean, gangly man, dressed up in a grayish-brown cardigan sweater, with a nice tan button-up, and some dark brown slacks. The man had brownish hair and a worn and tired face like he hadn’t been sleeping very much. He looked startled to see a customer, there must not be many. He looked even more confused at what the young man was wearing.

“Ah, hello, sorry about that I didn’t expect anyone to come in.” The older man said, pushing his hair back and walking forward more towards the front of the desk.

“What is it that I can help you with?” The man said, seemingly like he never interacted with a customer before.

The young man placed the paper down that he received from that nice young lady and pointed at the information that said that his belongings were locked up in here. The older man seemed shocked after reading the paper but went on to go help the customer.  
Not seemingly bothered by his appearance at all. He looked through some paper files, not using that bright window thing that the lady in the apartment building used. It took him longer to find out where precisely the young man stuff is stored, but he found it nonetheless.

Finding the key labeled 4, the older man started to walk the young man to the locker where all his stuff would be stored. Deciding to make some small talk since the walk was pretty long, he decided to introduce himself, curious as to who owned a locker that was about 200 years old, considering it was such a young boy. He couldn’t be the young boy, probably a family member that had left it in their will. Maybe the boy was looking to find some money, he seemed to be in a rough state.   
  
“Did you always live in London?” The older man asked.

The young man seemed to think about it, not really knowing how to answer but willing to respond nonetheless.

“I was born in Wales in a small village. I've been lazing about for quite a while, so I decided to get back into the world and maybe do something with my life. I’ve been to London before, a long time ago. And I remembered about this property, but apparently, it was torn down, so I’m just here to collect my things and be on my merry way. Hopefully, if everything is still there.” The young man answered, still looking listlessly in front of him.

The older man found that the way, the younger man spoke was odd; he was talking like the stuff in this house belonged to him, but that’s impossible as it was 200 years old or older.  
  
Once the young man and the older man got to locker 4, the older man used the key and unlocked the door, opening it to a smallish room filled with boxes and miscellaneous items scattered around. The young man walked in and immediately went towards one little pouch.

Whether it was unknowing or just rather forgetfulness, the young man stuck his hand into the bag, it was a smallish pouch, couldn’t be holding more than a few coins, but he stuck his whole arm into the bag all the way down to his shoulder reaching in and pulling out a golden key ornate in nature, with red rubies around in a specific pattern shaping into a dragon.

He made a sound of ‘a-ha,’ smiling to himself that the key was not lost. For if it was, so would his fortune. The older man behind him covered his hand with his face, realizing that the man in front of him was not an ordinary Muggle but no a wizard such as him. We’re giving the kid because he was young and probably forgot all about the statue of secrecy and what not he walked into the locker as well taking a closer look at all the items considering the amount of items in this room might be more than he thought if all of the bags were as deep as that little pouch.

“So, you’re a wizard?” Asked the older man.

The younger man seemed startled and turned around, holding the key in his hand. His face was not filled with excitement anymore. He seemed almost embarrassed that he exposed himself so easily.

“I assume that luckily you are as well?”

The older man nodded his head holding out his hand, “Remus Lupin, nice to meet you.”

The young man returned the handshake hesitating on saying his name, but eventually came out and said it. Not his real name, of course, no, he’s not that stupid.

“Pleasures mine, my name’s Myridian Emrys.”

Last time he was involved with wizards, and he used his real name, everyone thought him as a joke. Apparently, he became somewhat famous, talked about in legends, and such. Until wizards used his name as someone to be worshiped upon like a God. The young man doesn’t know why it started or how it happened or what led to people swearing upon his name. But it happened, and that was probably the last time he ever went by his real name. And that was 600 years ago.

He hopes by now everyone forgot who he was, but he went by his new fake persona, Myridian Emrys, just to be careful. Truthful enough for his liking and more likely for him to respond to it. Plus, Emrys is his actual name if you asked some druids. Yet even 500 years ago, they were dying out. He doubts there still many left if any. And even if they are any left, they probably wouldn’t be able to recognize Emrys, as well their ancestors of the past did so easily.   
  
“I’ll leave you to your business, Mr. Emrys. I’ll head back to the front if you need anything just call.” The older man now named Remus, said as he let go of the handshake, walking away, leaving the key in the door as he went.

The young man, also known as Merlin, the greatest wizard to ever live or so it is told in the legends of Muggles and wizards alike. He went around the little storage unit picking certain things up and placing them in the pouch that he initially found the golden key in. Deciding to just take some random books and such items that held great significance or value to him, he placed in the small pouch and everything else he placed in another suitcase that he found with an expandable charm on it. He ended up putting almost everything in the storage locker into the two carry-on items.

  
Mostly there was just some more seating paper and clothing left. Nothing that he could wear to change out of what he was currently wearing. He went and picked up another small pouch with another expandable charm on it except instead of the endless expandable charm on the first pouch, this one was somewhat limited as it was only used to hold a small number of coins. There was a bit of Muggle currency in the pouch, but it was mainly wizarding money. From what he saw walking to this building, it seems Muggles no longer used actual coins, now they used paper.

He had no understanding of why they did that. It didn’t make any sense to him. How could you find value in paper rather than gold coins? But leave it to people of the future to do weird things that he wouldn’t understand. And no need to figure it out now. That is a history lesson for another day. A history lesson that he was alive for, but of course he was indisposed for 500 years, how many people get to say that? He could count the answer to that on no hands. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first person Merlin meets, I bet you didn't guess it was Remus. I was thinking of all the people who Merlin could meet on the off-chance in the Muggle side of London and apparently Remus what's the first person that crossed my mind and made the most sense. There will be other Harry Potter characters slowly introduced but for now please enjoy Merlin mainly by himself and chance appearances of Remus Lupin. 
> 
> Thanks for reading. And leave a comment to tell me what you think!


	3. A Fresh Change of Clothes Makes a New Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it has been a while since my last update. It takes a while to write these chapters because I'm trying really hard to make it good and to use the right word and to make Merlin sound like Merlin. And also to make sure I write everything in third person point of view, not in the first or second point of view. I don't know if the whole story is going to be in third person point of view but I like what's going on right now.

Merlin closes the door to the storage unit, locking it with the key left in the door and headed back to where he once came from. The man was still standing at the desk, looking over some papers, seemingly just trying to keep himself busy. He must not have noticed Merlin walk up because he spooks when the key hits the counter. 

“Thank you for your help. Could I come to pick up the rest later? It’s a bit too much to take with me all at once.” Merlin asks the older  _ looking _ man. 

The man seems to shuffle the papers too look somewhat knowledgeable but just flippantly answers, 

“Uh yes, no problem. But let me get you a schedule, we’re not open every day. We don’t get much business, as you can see.” 

He finishes lamely looking for where he last placed the schedule. Only having one copy for himself, he pulls out his wand, knowing he’s in the presence of another wizard, he copies the schedule onto the blank paper and hands it to Merlin. Having not seen magic in a while, Merlin marvels at it.

It wasn't even that impressive of a magical feat, just the feeling of magic in the air sent shivers down his spine and had his hairs on his arm stand up on end. He really needed to get out and practice some magic. Or just feel the ebb and flow of magic in the air. 

Merlin said his thanks and made his way out of the shop, walking down the road just with his eyes to the sky, looking at all the new Muggle inventions in his presence. Merlin realized two things, one the magic folk of the world have hidden themselves more than ever. What happened to coexistence, accepting magic for what it was, everything he was fighting for? Another thing he has come to the realization of is that Muggles have advanced beyond the capacity of magic. The self-moving carriages, the boxes with moving pictures, the little foldable boxes they talk into for communication. It’s like the Muggle world advanced farther than the magical one. 

It astounds Merlin how that could be so, all that power they have, and they’re not changing anything. That office lady found all that information in seconds on her a little bright box. While the wizard in the storage shop took 10 minutes to look for that piece of paper. Merlin wonders why they don’t evolve with the Muggles; it just baffles Merlin. It also sets Merlin's curiosity very high, and he really wants to buy one of those flexible little boxes that the people talk into. 

But first, he needs a change of wardrobe. Merlin also plans to mingle with Muggles, so he needs a set of Muggle clothes. But before any of that can be done, he needs some money. 

The reason he sought after all of his stuff, from the house that was now torn down and in its place is a big building, was because of the key. The golden key with the Pendragon symbol on it made out of red rubies. It’s his Gringotts key. He couldn’t understand why the wizards back 500 years ago thought it was a good idea to store their money with goblins, but he moved in with the trends and did it anyway. So his fortune is sitting in Gringotts waiting on him to return. 

He hoped that the goblins didn’t think that he died and sold all his stuff. But they were magical creatures, so maybe they knew he was still alive. Honestly, everything is a tossup at this point for Merlin. It's been so long that his presence and everything that was around 500 years ago could all be gone, and there’s nothing Merlin can do about it. No wizard, no matter their strength, could live for 500 years plus. Except for Merlin, but he's a unique case. 

Luckily he’s been to the bank before so transporting himself there was quite easy. Also, since it is in an entirely wizarding area, there is no need for the secrecy that he would ordinarily have to do if it was in a Muggle area. Which he now learned he needed to take more care of. Anyway, after appearing in front of the bank, he walked on inside, nothing much changed from the outside nor the from inside once he walked in, at least since his last visit. Which is surprising since his previous visit was oh so long ago. He thought there may have been some new changes, but not one thing was different from his memory. 

He walked up to one goblin that looks a little more dapper than the rest, meaning he was wearing more golden accessories. He waited in front of the goblin, not demanding or forcing his way into a conversation, like the wizard next to him on the other line. It takes a minute for the goblin to notice him; see the goblin is used to pushy wizards and witches. They demand things and think they’re mainly better than goblins because of the complex that humans are better than any other race of magical creatures. 

Actually, the goblin startled a little bit when it noticed Merlin was just standing there waiting patiently. Merlin was in no rush. I mean, he wanted some new clothes and to get to his vault, but he had all the time in the world, like literally.

The goblin composed itself almost as soon as it was startled; it adjusted its golden monocle taking a better look at Merlin, the wizard standing in front of it. It only took the goblin a second to feel Merlin's magical powers. 

See, unlike other witches and wizards, Merlin is a sorcerer of the old religion and old magic, he omitted a certain glow or aura of magic at all times. Ordinary magic folk of this day and age can’t perceive it. Not even druids of the old could feel it unless they had an exceptionally strong magical ability themselves. But unlike humans, magical creatures also give off a glow or an aura of their magic. Meaning they could also see it, which is what happened when the goblin took a closer look at Merlin, he actually focused in on Merlin's aura, and he felt it and saw it. 

Now Merlin, unlike any other magical creature in the world, he is overflowing with magical essence. He is magic reincarnate. So his aura of magic would be five times what you would see on any other magical creature. So, of course, when the goblin saw it, it was, for lack of better words: magical. 

Merlin himself, if he focuses hard enough, can see the aura on any magical being even if they usually wouldn’t emit one. Normally he’s not really paying attention to that sort of thing since you notice not many humans have it. And since he doesn’t hunt for magical beasts anymore, he has no use for the skill. And he’s never talked to a magical creature long enough that they mentioned the whole aura thing, so he has no idea what the goblin is staring at or why he looks so gobsmacked. 

“Excuse me, I was wondering if I could have access to my vault?” Merlin asked the frozen goblin in front of him. 

After a moment or two, to compose himself, the goblin answers looking at Merlin now as if he’s something to be praised, Merlin hates that look, he just wants to be a regular person, but it never works out that way.

“Of course, Lord Emrys.” 

The few witches or wizards that heard the goblin speak all looked at Merlin with suspecting eyes, considering his attire and his dirtiness they couldn’t believe that the goblin called him a Lord.

There was a rumor passed around a long time ago between magical creatures that a human exists with an aura so bright, and magic so potent that he could be none other than Lord Emrys. Of course, the goblin in front of Merlin has heard of these tales and believes Merlin to be Lord Emrys, he couldn’t be more right, but it shocked Merlin quite a bit. He thought he was forgotten about, forgotten through time, just a standard everyday wizard. But things don’t work out that easily for Merlin, they never do. 

Standing from his desk, the goblin brings Merlin over to the side and asks for the key. Reverently, Merlin pulls out the key from his pouch and hands it to the goblin. The key itself catches the eyes of many wizards, witches, and goblins alike, considering it’s so ornate and beautifully crafted that they just don’t make them like that anymore. 

To the wizards and witches, he stood out more for the fact that his key was made out of solid gold lined with red rubies, and he looks like a bum. Some of them seem to laugh at his presence, more of the purebloods scoffed at his state of dress. There were even a few eyes of pity here and there. But it was nothing new to Merlin; he was always doing something unique that drew the attention of everyone in his presence. And always for all the wrong reasons.

After taking his key and marveling at it for longer than probably appropriate, the goblin walked Merlin down to where the cart, which would eventually lead him to his vault, was situated. Merlin, being the dork that he’s always been, pretended the car was a roller coaster and put his hands in the air screaming the whole way down, and they went deep down to the far reaches of the cavernous pit. After a long 15 minute ride, they finally arrived at the first-ever vault.

Merlin’s wasn't always the first vault, but since the 500 years had passed, they had moved all his belongings down farther into the vault, only because he hadn’t shown up in 500 years. But none of that really mattered to Merlin. As the goblin took his key and put it in the lock, turning it and saying a simple magic spell, the door creaked open, revealing all of Merlin's riches.

And what bountiful riches he had. Piles and piles of gold, artifacts collected through 1000 years time. Memorabilia from the time of Camelot. Irreplaceable books, one-of-a-kind artifacts, more stuff than one man would ever need—an almost impossible museum of artifacts throughout the ages. If only historians could enter this room, they would probably salivate at the rich history cluttered in these walls. 

Merlin assessed most of his items, storing a few in his expandable bag, but mostly taking out money. One thing you learned from the past was that no matter what happened or what age you lived in, if time passes, things cost more money. So he took enough money that would make a pureblood beg at his feet to have. And he went back up taking another 15-minute journey going back the way he came being just as childlike. 

After returning back to the main level of the bank, he wasn’t quite yet done. Before the goblin could walk away and go back to what he was doing, Merlin tapped him on the shoulder twice. A gentle tap, nothing too demanding or rude. Merlin respected all magical creatures, he found kin in them, _ though they were no dragons _ . The goblin turned, his eyes portraying his words even though he did not speak them yet, his eyes clearly spoke, ‘Lord-Emrys-?’ 

“I was wondering if you could exchange some of this into muggle currency.” 

The goblin just nodded his head, leading Merlin off to the desk where exchanging was done. Merlin handed over quite the large sum of gallons, around 100 in total. Leaving a few witches and wizards to stare with envy. After a few minutes, the goblin suggested that instead of money Merlin should use a card since it was easier than carrying around a bunch of cash. 

Merlin, who was fascinated at the aspect of using a card immediately agreed, but still got some muggle money since he was interested in how it looked.

Then after sorting all that out, he left. He walked on over to the nearest clothes store which was labeled, Madame Malkin’s, robes for all occasions. It was a quaint purple store, much intenser in color than those Muggle stores, which are all very bland, with their rusty reds and sun dyed browns. Merlin walked in, smelling the scent of new clothing and hearing the sound of clothes being made, the magical way. He could hear several people sewing at once, but there was only one witch in the store. 

Madame Malkin was a small short witch, wearing a very detailed robe herself, in a pale bluish purple shade, even adorned with a hat to match her robe. She was alerted to Merlin’s arrival by the little bell above the door. The moment he walked in, she smiled walking on over to him, to greet the new customer of course, but accidentally she hip-checked one of the small tables containing a bunch of beautifully colored fabric, all of it soon to be spilling to the floor in a complete and utter mess. 

But right before that, Merlin’s hand moved out, stopping the table from falling and stopping all the fabrics from cascading onto the floor. The shop owner stared in wonder at a little display of wandless magic, as it wasn’t every day you saw such a young man perform such a feat. 

She compliments him as such, “Oh my, what a wonderfully splendid use of Wandless magic. One so young, able to use wandless magic like that. Unless you’re hiding your wand in your sleeve or something.” She guessed he could’ve been hiding a wand in his sleeve, but the sleeves look so ragged she doubted it. 

For a moment, Merlin was confused, then he remembered that every witch or wizard he’s seen had a wand on them. 

Suddenly he remembered what was starting to happen a few years ago, well no, a few centuries ago for him. Actually, it was happening for a while before that, but he went on a world trip right before the ‘prison thing,’ and it wasn’t happening everywhere. But he clearly remembered the number of people that could do wandless magic decrease and a bunch of people started waving sticks around. 

He never really moved with times, didn’t care too, or needed to. He could still use his magic as easily as it was to breathe. But he started to understand what this lady was talking about. 

Not wanting to be silent for so long even though he was already silent for long enough, “Well, I was a bit ahead of my schooling’s. It was nothing too fancy, really.” 

It really wasn’t fancy at all, Merlin does that unconsciously sometimes.

“Oh dear, no need to downplay yourself. That was really impressive. What is it you need? Some new school robes, or some dress robes?” 

Merlin laughed, 

“No, my lady, I’m not in school no more. I’ll just need 4 sets of casual robes and a few suits more in the Muggle style.” 

Madame Malkin, The owner of the store, just nodded her head and quickly got to sizing Merlin up in the right measurements so that she could get to work on producing four sets of robes and two Muggle suits. In no time at all, Merlin walked out of Madame Malkin’s store clad in one of his Muggle suits with two shopping bags full of his other clothes. 

He didn’t mean to go all out, but he probably bought some of the most expensive suits. It was more of the case; he wanted to look good. It works in your favor if you look good in the wizarding world. If there were still people concerned about blood purity and money, he would at least fit in enough so he wouldn’t be the talk of the town, which Merlin does not want. He wants to fit in, not stand out, though that is very challenging and probably never something Merlin can do. As people say, there’s just something about him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So he meets some characters, not the main characters in this chapter, but characters nonetheless. I also work out some kinks and his magic and how Merlin is different from everyone else. 
> 
> I'm fairly happy with this chapter. I will hint at how people slowly get suspicious of Merlin. Because he is different. But it'll be very very very slow going before anybody even gets an inkling that he’s Merlin, you know I don't expect that until the last book actually but I like to put little sneaky sneaks in there. lol
> 
> You'll see what I'm talking about next chapter very small so you might miss it so just ignore what I'm saying.


	4. The Muggle World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, another fanfic of mine is ending so I was working on it. You can read the rest of this note if you want some stupid info, otherwise, skip to the story.  
>  _____________________________________________
> 
> The narrator of the story is omniscient and will give you sarcastic hints. Be prepared for them. Also, anything in brackets() is purely my own thoughts and I’m just being a little shit. :P  
> Apparently Leonardo da Vinci died 500 years ago today, the more you know. The things I learned researching information for this fanfic. Why that information would be relevant to my story, it’s not, but I learned anyway.  
> Five-hundred years ago this month, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle church, sparking the Protestant Reformation. I’m like a well of weird information. Enjoy.   
> Apparently Lice was rampant 500 years ago and it’s why everyone shaved their head and wore wigs, if you notice there’s a pattern to this weird information. Everything that I’m learning about happened 500 years ago.  
> It’s because for some reason it’s so hard to figure out what 500 years ago is equivalent in these (1700-1800-1900) I don’t know which one it is and Google is not helping me. It's just telling me random semi-useless information that happened 500 years ago.   
> According to my calculations, the 17th century was 500 years ago. Now my calculations could be wrong but I have spent too long looking for this answer so I am done and that is what is going to be now a fact. Listen I am horrible at math, I am the literal stereotype for English teachers. I’m an English teacher who hates math. And I accept the title proudly, so don’t shame me for my nonexistent knowledge of math.  
> OK, that’s the end, thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

Merlin has spent more than enough time in the Wizarding world to last, literally, lifetimes. After the fall of Camelot, Merlin went out and sought out magical societies to try to learn more and just try to take away from the pain, that was the death of his king. He spent so long around witches and wizards or sorcerers and sorceresses that he didn’t mingle with the muggles too much. 

Not that he didn’t at all, I mean he went to China and saw the Great Wall of China, which was really cool and entirely built by Muggles. I mean, he knew a few wizards and witches at the time that we're helping with the construction of it, but most of it was mainly built by muggles, which fascinated Merlin at the time and still kind of is fascinating. 

A building at such a large-scale, even if it was a wall, the feats of humanity so early in its stages. Just some of those inventions and buildings are just unimaginable from someone who was born 1500 years ago. He didn’t really spend a lot of time around Muggles because he didn’t want to hide anymore. And the only people he could show his true self to were other magic folks. He had a few friends 500 years ago though they probably are dead now that he thinks about it. 

The Muggles definitely are, and the witches and wizards that he knew back then should be, so you never know with magical abilities some could mimic immortality. You know those people have been trying to make themselves immortal for centuries, more like millennials. He wanted to tell those people that it’s not worth it. How it's depressing and such a drag, but it’s not like those people would believe him anyway. 

Merlin's first order of business was to head back to that store. According to the schedule for its hours, it was still open. He wasn’t really going to go back in and collect his things; he just wanted to apparate somewhere where he wouldn’t be seen by Muggles. He hoped the kind shopkeeper wouldn't mind.

He was a wizard too. After apparating to the shop, he was going to look for places to buy a house. He wanted a Muggle house, in a Muggle neighborhood but not a small home. He was looking to fill it with as much Muggle technology as he could. He wanted to try out everything. Merlin could afford it, so why not? 

After quickly transporting himself inside the shop, once again scaring the man behind the desk, also known as Mr. Lupin, he looked so shocked that Merlin apparated inside his store. Considering the anti-apparition wards. Not that they would affect Merlin, in any sense. He felt the little tingle of the wards when he passed by them, but he didn’t think much of it. It definitely didn’t stop him from entering. Some magic, what Merlin would call modern magic, has zero effect on him. 

Like a few curses don’t exactly affect him, the way they would affect other witches and wizards. It’s not like the magic didn’t work, it's that it was too weak. If you want to imagine it this way, Merlin is like a ball of magic, straight pure magic. And if you shoot some weak magic into the ball of magic, nothing will happen. It’ll just be absorbed into the magic that was already in Merlin in the first place. It won’t make Merlin stronger, but it won’t really affect him either. 

Depending on the spell and how powerful the wizard or witch who cast it changes whether the effect will actually hinder Merlin in any sense. If there is a weak wizard more like a squib, then most spells that would be harmful would not affect Merlin in the slightest. However, if it was someone like Dumbledore or Voldemort, some of the effects may damage Merlin, should he come into contact with a deliberately dark spell. 

The darker the spell, the worst effect considering Merlin is so pure. In the essence of his magic. But, would he die? Well, that’s up to fate and destiny. 

After leaving the shop and a slightly suspicious Remus behind, he walked off in search of his new home. Something to remind him of the past, yet something that still blended in with the ever-changing modern world. He wanted to get one of those apartments, but he realized he needed more space. And even though he could make his home bigger on the inside if he wanted to. But he would rather just have a bigger house. Merlin was also going to initially have his home somewhere smack dab in the middle of London. Still, he decided against it, considering he uses magic willy-nilly, and he might as well have some privacy, more like he needed it. 

After searching for too long, he found an older property right outside of London selling for quite a lot of coin. But he considered it a buy worth purchasing because of how beautiful the house was. It was a white brick, almost cobblestone looking house. With a wooden roof, but even though it was so old, the wood looked immaculate. Plus, a little magic could keep that house perfect forever. There was a bunch of greenery and flowers wildly growing all around the property. And all the windows were mosaics filtering different color lights throughout the house. 

It was a three-story house with a very nice library. There were no books or anything in it, but the capacity which the library could be was beautiful. It’s one of the main reasons Merlin even bought the house in the first place. He bought it very quickly; he didn’t need to think it over or contact his bank to see if he had enough money, even though the real estate lady asked him three times if he was  _ sure _ he wanted to buy this house. 

She said she could show him a much nicer, modern house that would probably fit someone his age, but Merlin just laughed at the age comments and eventually just turned her down on each and every occasion. Finally insisting that this house was the house that he wanted to live in. And by the end of that long day, he had a home to live in—an empty house with nothing in it but a home nonetheless. 

He transfigured a bed, a table, and a chair and a few other easily transformable items. Not that he wasn’t going to buy new furniture and stuff but not tonight. No tonight was a night for rest. He walked into his bathroom and used an all too familiar spell as he filled up the bathtub with warm water, a spell he perfected after the numerous burning of his king's toes. He shredded the ripped up and torn prison garb, and he just vanished it, there was no need to save it, and he had no use for it. 

After taking a long relaxing soak in the bath, he scrubbed his body clean of all the grime they had built up in 500 years' time. He saw his skin for the first time in a few years on his hands. They don’t give baths in prison. He stayed in the bathtub until his fingers turned into raisins. And one quick spell cleaned all the grime and dirt off his tub. He does like to clean by hand, but it’s been a long day. He laid in his bed and comfortably went to sleep. 

* * *

A look on someone else….

After that particular customer left the store Remus Lupin, stared in wonder after that wizard. He was young, so maybe he didn’t know what this place really was. He must be from an old family, though, because this place has been owned by wizards for an extraordinary amount of time. Most people, by most people he means Muggles, know this place to be a storage facility that is old and worn down. Who wants to put their belongings in it? It looks like their security hasn’t been updated since the 1800s. And it’s all true, nobody stores things in here. Some wizards do but mainly pointless knick-knacks. Everyone stores everything in Gringotts, obviously. And anything that’s stored in the storage unit by Muggles is kept in a separate section. 

Of course, it’s only employee does not know any of this. The last employee finally retired last year, an ancient wizard who should’ve retired years ago, but nobody else wanted his job. The new employee also does not want this job. Nobody wants this job. Remus Lupin, a former school teacher at Hogwarts, does not want this job. He’d probably still teach at Hogwarts. Even if he still has to teach that cursed position as a defense against the dark arts teacher. Anything is better than this boring job. 

But it’s not a Muggle job as one may think. It’s actually a one-way back entrance into the Ministry of Magic. Unlike the other entrances, which are through some toilets, this one has a cheeky fireplace in the back room where ministry officials may enter to go straight to the Ministry of Magic. It’s rarely ever used. I mean, you may see a passing wizard once or twice every year. But someone still needs to be in the shop, and that is the unfortunate job that one, Remus Lupin has acquired. 

It is also the only job that he can get being a werewolf and all, sadly. The ministry actually wanted nothing to do with him altogether. Some people even tried to imprison him. But that wasn’t right, considering he hasn’t done anything wrong, except being alive. Which, according to some, is a crime. Some people wanted him to just be put into some low profile ministry job, and this is the job that he was handed. And he had no say in the matter—what a wonderful wizarding world. 

After his unemployment from Hogwarts, all of the people who were secretly discriminatory against all of the half breeds and other races in the Wizarding world, they rose up, surfacing again, forcing more discriminatory laws and bullshit to be put in place. (Good thing this is just a fantasy world...) 

One woman, someone high up in the ministry of magic, was enforcing those laws like without them she couldn’t breathe. Nobody was a fan of her. But she was the Ministry of Magic’s secretary, so nobody could speak against her either. Quite unfortunate. Thankfully she was confined to the Ministry of Magic and couldn’t influence her thoughts on any other young beautiful minds...

Anyway, long story short, Remus hated his job, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Of course, he was secretly a part of the Order of the Phoenix. A secret organization of wizards and witches fighting against He-who-must-not be-named and his Death eaters. 

But since that wasn’t a prominent money-making job and for the fact that it was a secret order, he was confined to working a desk job for the Ministry of Magic. The most boring desk job of them all. So even though the young wizard was an oddball, it was the most exciting part of his whole month. 

However, one thing about this building, even though it was so old and decrepit that it was probably one of the easiest buildings ever to get broken into in the history of all buildings. It had one powerful ward in place, that being one anti-Apparition ward. It has been in place for as long as this building has been standing. So when that very same oddball wizard popped in, Remus Lupin was left shocked. How the hell did he get through the anti-Apparition ward? Of course, the wizard didn’t come in long enough for Remus to question him. 

He only popped in because he didn’t want to be seen by Muggles, was his quick and short explanation before he left the shop. After about 20 minutes since the young wizard left and Remus got shaken out of the stupor of shock, he checked the wards to make sure because even if this building was pretty pointless nowadays, it still is a one-way entrance into the Ministry of Magic. And it’s still needed to be protected, somewhat. But after checking the wards, nothing was amiss, meaning there is no way he could’ve apparated inside of this building. But he did. How mysterious. 

But it was a mystery that Remus could not answer without the particular wizard in front of him, so he had to brew about the question on the tip of his tongue until the next time the wizard came to visit. Though, if he decided that this place was a safe place to apparate to, it may mean that he would be seeing the wizard very shortly. 

And that the duction was on point because unknowingly to Remus, Merlin had actually decided that this place was a safe place to apparate to, and he would be using it regularly. 

* * *

Even though Merlin found apparating to be the simplest way of transporting himself places. He really really wanted a car. Merlin’s excitement about owning a vehicle led him to walk into a car dealership, the very next day, with all his money and buying a fancy car. He left with a black matted Rolls-Royce Ghost. Pricing at £250,000. The catchline sold it for him, “One does not simply show up in a Rolls-Royce Ghost, one arrives.” 

It made him laugh, and he ended up buying it, also because it’s a beautiful car. However, after he purchased the car, he had learned that he needed a driver's license to drive it. That was news to him, drivers licenses weren’t a thing 500 years ago, hell cars weren’t a thing 500 years ago, and that made him spend a bit more money to have someone drive it to his house for him. After that, he needed, well, he didn’t really need any of the new Muggle appliances, but he craved to learn about all these new things that had advanced since his nap, so to say. 

He wanted to drive his new car to all the stores but seeing as that was not possible since he did not exactly know how to drive his new car. He didn't want to get in trouble with any of the Muggle law-enforcement even though he could get out of it with magic; he still was hesitant to get in trouble in the first place. So he ended up walking around wearing an extendable bag that he was going to put all of his new items in.  He first hit up a few electronics stores. 

This time around, all of the stores took him seriously with his fancy suit on. He was quickly helped and met with a few appreciative stares by both men and women alike. Merlin cleaned up well. Though the moment he started talking, you would think he was some posh, wealthy child, with his uses of ‘my lady’ and ‘yes sir.’ But then you could mistake him for an old man because of his lack of knowledge of all things electronic. 

But with a polite attitude and good looks, most store clerks were pleased to teach him how to use and manage all of the items that he bought. Mainly because his attitude was excellent and a refresher from the everyday snobby person, and he had the cash to make every store treat him like a VIP customer. By the end of his shopping spree, Merlin had bought all top-of-the-line appliances.

He had bought a cell phone and a home phone, a computer; much nicer than the one the lady in the apartment was using, a TV; something called a flat-screen or whatever. All of the bigger appliances like a dishwasher, a microwave, an oven, a washer, and dryer, he had those delivered to his house, it was easier than explaining how he could put it into his magical expandable bag. 

It cost more money, but it was less of a hassle, and money was not really a worry for Merlin. Plus, he could always make more money by getting a job if he ever ran out. That’s a big 'If' though. More likely, the reason he would get a job would be because he is bored out of his mind.

He didn’t really do much else that day; he just spent it inside his house, magicking appliances in place, and transfiguring counters out of thin air. Merlin, unlike other wizards and witches, could create endless transfigurations, and they would never disappear. He wasn’t really transfiguring things, more like he was creating things, which standard wizards and witches cannot do, but he was an outlier as he always was. 

By the end of that long second day, free from the prison, he had a car and a house and was basically covered in muggle appliances. Late into the night was spent on his laptop in his bed, just browsing the 'Internet,' also known as the World Wide Web, and finding out all the information that he missed out on. 

Google was magic, that wasn’t real magic, but it was so great that he wonders how magical folk hadn’t thought of it first. And he searched through Google, reaching 10 pages deep in Google. Looking for information all about magic and the like, but it seems he would have to subscribe to the daily Wizarding newspaper to find out Wizarding information, as what he feared was that they had wholly separated themselves. 

_ Wizards and Witches and Muggles were completely living different lives in different worlds. Somehow on the same earth. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to tell y'all something that was really funny, but it makes me look like a dumbass even if the information came from my own State. So I wanted Merlin to like the wonders of the Muggle world, so I wanted him to be around when some of the Muggle things were created. So I was like, ‘oh New York City would be a great one' because like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty were really cool and like made by humans’, at least non-wizarding ones. But then I was like wait a second there's a flaw in my plan, but this has been unnoticed for a week after I wrote it, the Empire State Building is not 500 years old, neither is the Statue of Liberty, I don't think, but I got a fact check that too. I live in New York City and I knew none of this. I had an inkling feeling that the Empire State Building was younger than I thought it was, which is why I'm changing it. I still haven't checked about the Statue of Liberty yet but it's probably not 500 years old. The Statue of Liberty is 145 years old, better than 90-year-old Empire State building but either way I am a dumbass. I am not good with history even though I like history. I'm not good at it, obviously. 
> 
> *I know Shakespeare was around 400 years ago, but I may fit it in there*


	5. The Birth Of A Techno Mage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, y'all!
> 
> It's been a while. But this story takes time to write. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy! :)

After reading the newspaper and catching up with the Wizarding world as well as the Muggle world, Merlin was unimpressed. History repeats, in all the years that he’s been alive, things that happened in the past happen again. Apparently, some new dark Lord is having his way with the Wizarding world, killing people, and making a mess of things.

The same arguments of the past with the purity of one's blood. Merlin never understands why it’s so important. When people claim he is the greatest wizard ever, yet he’s only a half-blood himself. So obviously it doesn’t matter. To top it off, the government doesn’t want to believe in the reappearance of this dark lord and is spreading any and all talk of his revival as hearsay and looney news.   
  
Merlin thinks it’s quite stupid that they don’t see what’s right in front of their faces, but as you know, ignorance is bliss. Obviously, some smart people are combating this Voldemort guy's dark forces, but they wouldn’t put that stuff in the newspaper. Not that Merlin was too interested in getting involved in that sort of business. But leave it to Merlin to be involved no matter what he does.   
  
Instead of spending his time invested in the Wizarding world, Merlin wanted to explore the Muggle side of the world. Mainly for the fact that Muggles have advanced so far in only 500 years, it was magnificent to him. Just his brand new computer that could search for information from anywhere in the world just available in one glowing box alone was game-changing. And considering he was indisposed during its creation, he was inquisitive about how all these things worked.

Merlin is also very curious as to why wizards don’t use the technology at their fingertips, the paper filing system, the newspapers, and the lack of any electronics anywhere in the Wizarding world. He didn’t understand any of it, why not use such great tools. To figure that question out, he’d have to ask a wizard or witch in person, because there’s no such thing as Google for the Wizarding world.   
  
And well, what better wizard to ask than the one he knows precisely where he is as per his schedule. Remus was coming in very handy; maybe he should bring him a gift. Merlin felt like after all the help that Remus had given him; he should give him something in return so he wouldn’t feel so guilty asking him for help in the future. Maybe he could buy him a laptop for the storage unit. It was no trouble for Merlin, he had enough money in savings to probably buy enough laptops to give every wizard and witch in London a computer, and then he’ll be leftover with more laptops.   
  
After returning to the shop that he bought his original laptop that he has at home, he purchased another much to the shopkeeper's pleasure. And he also bought the stuff that makes the Internet work. He hasn’t gotten all the jargon down yet, but it’ll come in time; it’s only been his first day back in the world. I mean, he was in the world but not so much you can see inside of a dark, dank, little prison cell. Merlin made sure to check the schedule to ensure that Remus was working today; otherwise, this trip would be pointless. He wanted to test out his new car by driving it to the building, but he has yet to take a driving test.

Of course, he could just fake it, make a fake ID, and get away with it, but he would rather get an actual ID. Though unfortunately, that will take a little bit more work because nobody knows who he is. He’d have to figure that out with the Wizarding world first then transferring over to the Muggle world. It seems that his test run with his car will have to wait for later.  
  
Nothing like a pleasant walk through town, he’s walked plenty in his lifetime before the invention of cars and carriages, and even with the availability of horses, he still walked a lot. He quickly made his way back to the store; as usual, there were no customers. He wondered how the stores stayed afloat with no business.

Maybe it had a hidden section for just wizards since the guy running the shop was a wizard, though this was all theory to Merlin because he had no bases for his thoughts. He looked into the glass doors seeing the man puttering around in the back. He opened the door walking in, he didn’t intend to be so quiet with his footsteps, but he was just a quiet person. At least when he had nothing to talk about, that is.

Placing the bag on the desk, he coughed loudly, signaling Remus to suddenly turn around and stare at him. Obviously, since he didn’t notice him before he was quite shocked but composed himself quicker than last time after someone pops in one too many times, you eventually get used to it.

“Mr. Emrys, nice to see you again,” Remus says as he walks closer to Merlin. “Remus, nice to see you as well. Doing good since I last saw you?”

Merlin said in a teasing manner since he only just saw him yesterday. Remus smiled, “Yes, I’m fine. Are you here to gather the rest of your stuff?”

Merlin shakes his head, “No, not just yet. I was looking for you. I had a question to ask. It’s been a while since I was in the Wizarding world, so to speak. I was really caught up in something...else. But I’m curious about something. I understand the laws we have, like the statute of secrecy, which separates most of our involvement with Muggles. But what I don’t understand is, why are we so outdated in comparison to Muggles? With computers, car’s and cell phones, why are we still stuck in the past using paper and quill and using owls to send postcards? Why haven’t we advanced? Do you happen to know why? It’s not like the Wizarding world has its own form of Google.” Merlin asked the older looking man.

Remus seemed confused at the latter sentence, not knowing what Google was, but answered no the less, to the best of his ability. “Technology and magic don’t mix well. We tend to blow things up when we come around and interact with technology. We have yet to figure out a way to merge the two.”

Merlin’s mouth formed an ‘O’ shape and sighed.

“Well, this present is useless.” He says, looking at the computer in his arms.

But Merlin was also curious, seeing as he could use the computer just fine. And he’s been using magic all morning with all of his appliances.  
  
After staring in silence at the now useless present, a thought comes to Merlin's mind. If he could use electronics while still easily using magic in their presence, he could figure it out. It’s obviously possible; he just needs to do it. Right then and there, he decides, that was what he was going to focus on. He has a new motivation burning in his veins, he was already more than interested in all the technology advancements so far, and he might be the only one who would be able to merge magic and tech.

It could be a way to get his name out there—a way to get himself involved in the Wizarding world once again, slowly. And a way to slowly get himself engaged in the Muggle world.   
  
He was looking up from the useless present, at least for now.

“You’ve given me a great idea Remus! This was going to be a present for you, but as you said, magic and technology don’t mix, so I’ll have to postpone it. But I’ll do it; I’ll figure out a way to merge magic and technology. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but this is quite an interesting path to follow. I’ll see you again, thanks for the ideas!” Merlin said, waving as he left the shop without even giving Remus a chance to respond.

And did he have the opportunity to respond, he would’ve asked why he was receiving a gift and what exactly he contributed to the conversation? But Merlin came and went like a whirlwind. Of course, not an actual whirlwind, that would make it too easy.  
  
The ideas were bursting throughout Merlin's mind, all the possibilities this brought up. Just because magic and technology don't mix right now doesn't mean it's impossible to do. He's living proof that it is indeed possible.

Merlin has no trouble using any of the electronics he owns. There were no telltale signs of something about to go boom. But as Merlin always is, a special case and rarely limited by the restraints of magic, who better to figure out how to make the technology and magic clash in a way that doesn't end up in explosions.   
  
The theory of it wasn't so out there. Now that he has the basic facts, the fact that technology and magic are incompatible. He just has to fix it. Of course, it's easier said than done. But the theory in itself is simple. The method would be that you have to understand the object that you’re adding a spell to. For example, if you take a chair and you want to make it indestructible. You would place a spell on the chair that would make it indestructible. Simple.

The reason why it's so simple is because a chair it's not complicated. It doesn't have too many parts, the constructability and the elements of its creation are simple, and then it's easy just attaching the spell itself to the object. It's all so simple because magic is part of nature, and a wooden chair would be nature-ish. And combining the two to make something impossible happen is what magic is all about.   
  
With that being said, the basic outline would be to make a computer available and usable by all magic users, whether they have a lot of magic or a little magic. And it would help if the computer would be able to somehow repel magic. The most important part, however, would be a spell that has no side effects. There are tons of spells out there that repel magic, ones that drain the wizard or witch of their magic, but you wouldn't want that.

Merlin would need a spell to dispel magic without any side effects. He also needs to memorize a computer thoroughly. He would have to memorize every single nut and bolt, every single computer chip and have an intricate understanding of what each individual part does, to even being finding a spell that would be compatible with it, and the spell itself can't be too heavily magical otherwise it would make the computer explode even after all that. It's a challenge.  
  
One Merlin has more than enough time to complete. Considering Merlin is wholly invested in getting involved in the muggle world and he's also enamored with muggle technology and muggle advancement. Yet, of course, Merlin can't leave behind the wizarding world even if they decide that on their own.

After leaving Remus’ shop, Merlin's first order of business was to go back to the computer store, and instead of buying more appliances this time, he bought books on computers. Whatever the guy at the counter was willing to sell him, he would buy it.

He needed a complete understanding of every piece of the computer. And that was only the first step, everything else he would have to get from Google. He could also buy a printer so he could have the paper in front of them. Merlin really did love computers, but sometimes the light was a little too hard on his eyes, especially being in the dark for so long. Maybe he’d add some of his own advancements to muggle tech.   
  
As for the spell aspect of this project, it wouldn’t be too difficult. He's created spells before. Merlin created tons of the spells that are used today in the first place. So making up a new spell isn’t too difficult. The problem he’s facing one week into the project is that computers have a lot of different little parts in it.

It’s amazing what they created, but memorizing each and every little part taking a while. And the fact that he not only needs to memorize it but understand what each and every part does, to know exactly how it affects the computer and what effect it has on making the computer work.

Merlin was debating with the idea of runes two weeks into the project. Scraping runes into each and every piece of the computer, seemed the easiest solution. But after many trials and errors and tons of money down the drain, he realized that it didn’t work. During this time of creation, he spent it holed up in his house. Only ever going out to buy food and more computers so that he can break as he pleases. The first month Merlin was back in society, he spent tinkering in his house. But he was making excellent progress.   
  
Because by month two, Merlin had to learn the ins and outs of the computer thoroughly. He could make his own computer from scratch at this point if he wanted to. But that wasn't what he wanted to do; he wanted to make computers accessible to all wizards, not create his own computer company.

Though selling the spell to make it available to wizards and witches, was something he was looking into it. As much money as he had, he still had to live for an exceptionally long amount of time and if he’s going to stay awake this time. He would be needing money and probably a lot of it. So selling the spell would be beneficial to him in the long run. However, the idea of creating a company is also helpful in some aspects. It would make a name for himself. He could also create muggle technology that would be better than what they have right now.

Since he found a few flaws in the computers that he was working on. And he could also make a name for himself in the Wizarding world, maybe supplying laptops to schools and stuff. It would rake in a lot of money and hopefully catch the wizarding world up-to-date with the technology of the muggle world.

On second thought, a company would probably be best because if he sold the spell, it might just get thrown into the deep dark ditches of the ministry of magic never to be seen again. Merlin is quite sure many purebloods will probably scoff at this. With their old traditions and hate of anything Muggles. Even though they probably oppose his company, they couldn’t shut it down because it’s privately owned. But a spell that would be sold would never see the light of day. Merlin has to think this over quite a bit.   
  
After four long months, Merlin grew a beard, his hair unkempt and unruly, he stunk a bit, and his eyes were bloodshot, but he’d done it. He made a magic compatible computer. The spell was just that: a spell and four runes, strategically placed on four points of the computer. All he needs now is a test subject. He’s been casting magic directly at the computer all day.

But he’s come to realize that maybe his magic won’t affect it either way. So off to find Remus again. Tired and weary as he was, he just picks up the laptop and apparatus directly into the shop. He’s tired and a mess, but he needs to know. Apparating in scares Remus, who hasn’t seen Merlin in four months.

“M-mr. Emrys! Oh, hello again.” Remus says, putting his wand away after he drew it in fright.

But he pauses at the sight of Merlin, dressed in mismatched rumpled clothing and now toting a beard. 

Merlin walked around the desk and handed him the computer. Promptly sitting down afterward. “What’s this?” Remus asks, looking at the modern object in his hands.

“You’re present, the computer,” Merlin responded tiredly.

“I still don’t know why I’m getting a present, but I already told you that magic and muggle things don't mix,” Remus says, placing the computer down.

“They do now! I created a spell to make computers and magic mix; I just need you to try it out. And it is a present because you're a nice guy and helped me out. Also, you're the only wizard I know.” Merlin said excitedly.

“You… created a spell? But that’s incredibly difficult, and it should take years, at least. It’s only been a few months. Are you telling me you created a spell to merge muggle tech and magic in four months?” Remus looked at Merlin in wonder and perplexity.

“Yes… it was pretty difficult, the first month I had to learn so much stuff about computers and their inner workings that I wanted to slam my head into the wall. But by the end of the fourth month, everything just worked out, but I still need you to try it. Actually, can you cast any random spell at it, of any type? I’d like to see it work with someone other than myself if you don’t mind.” Merlin said, scooting the computer closer to Remus.

“Okay. Uh, let’s see, any spell, right? Hmmm, I guess I can try to transfigure it into something else.”

Remus was about to do that when Merlin stopped him,

“How about something stronger, something that would damage it in normal circumstances. A spell with a good amount of force. It doesn’t necessarily have to destroy the computer. I just want something potent, with lots of magical power to hit it. To see if it works even with such strong magic hitting it. Let me turn the computer on and fire your best spell.” Merlin said, powering up the computer and backing up to let Remus do his worst.

After some debating in his mind, Remus decided to cast Stupefy. A basic enough spell and there are plenty more to choose from should this not be enough. 

“Stupefy!” Remus shouts as he puts force into the spell.

A bright red light shoots out of the end of his wand directly towards the computer. It hits the computer, but nothing happens, no smoke, the screen doesn't even flicker. Not too sure still, Remus tries again, using a more powerful spell.

“Aguamenti” Remus shouts as a jet of water barrels towards the electronic device.

But Merlin smirks as the water just rolls off the new water safe magic resistant laptop. But Remus tries one last time, “Incendio!” Fire courses through the air directly at the screen but not a singe or burnt part to be found.

“Well seems I did it!” Merlin says smugly off to the side, proud of his four months of work.

“Merlin’s beard! How’d you do it?” Remus exclaims.

While Merlin flinches, touching his beard. Oh great, it still exists.

“Uh well, it’s a new spell hybrid with runes. It’s not too hard to do if you have the fundamentals and how they work down. It just needed to be applied.” Merlin said, giving a lame explanation.

But he was sure if he really went into the specifics of it, he would lose Remus to the technological jargon. It seems this was a success!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merlin creates magic proof muggle tech! Yay! 
> 
> This story is unique honestly, but hopefully, that's a good thing. 
> 
> Thanks for being patient and I hope you liked the chapter so far!


	6. Meeting A 'Hero'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is extremely long. Like super duper long. It's probably the longest chapter I've ever written. When I decided not to separate it into multiple chapters. It was originally supposed to be going to this building and get your shit done and leave. 
> 
> However, Merlin decided to stop and have a chat, so that chat added a lot of dialogue to this chapter. It's really good and I'm in love with this chapter, it's just super freaking long. 
> 
> But I am more than well aware you will all enjoy it. So without further ado enjoy.
> 
> Confession:  
> The summary for this book I wrote it a long time ago before I even had the plot figure it out. And originally the summary was completely wrong. But I had so many comments telling me that they love the summary and that they couldn't wait to see it be incorporated into the story. And I was super guilty because I definitely did not have a plan. I was going to eventually just change the summary but I was feeling guilty because I didn't want to let the people down when they were already excited about something.
> 
> The main issue was that I did not have the story that I told you I had. However, two nights ago I figured it all out. I found a way how to incorporate the summary that was false into my story and I made it all work out beautifully. It's going to be a really cool and awesome next book. Unfortunately, it does not appear in this book yet. But in the next book, I will specifically point out the cool moment whenever it does come. And that is all I have to say, sorry, but I fixed it so it's cool.

The daily prophet this morning was the same as it’s been for the past 4 months. It talked about the escape, again and again. Apparently, even though all of those cells were unlocked, only 8 prisoners escaped—four lowbrow prisoners. Well somewhat lowbrow, they committed terrible crimes, but they weren’t as bad as the other bunch, which were three death eaters, some of which were directly under Lord Voldemort. Bellatrix Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, and Augustus Rookwood. And one mystery case. A cell is empty, logged as full, but the main problem is that nobody remembers who was supposed to occupy it. That leaves the ministry going crazy because they don’t know if it was someone extremely dangerous or some random old man walking the streets. They know nothing, and that scares them. But they can’t do anything about it because they don’t have any sort of start to look for who would be in that old dirty, dank cell. 

Merlin reads the paper with a smirk on his face, he’s having a good bit of fun reading all of the scary situations the newspaper puts out on ‘Who could it be?’ They really come up with wild ideas. An old mass murderer. A serial kidnapper from the ’70s. An old Grindelwald fanatic who is going to join He-who-must-not-be-named and cause chaos and destruction. Even though they still don’t believe that he is alive. One paper, not that daily prophet crap, but a magazine called The Quibbler. It was a paper Merlin recently subscribed to; honestly, it didn’t deny Voldemort's return, so it was good in Merlin’s books. Even though at times the content was random and somewhat arbitrary, it was a good magazine. An excellent refresher to the lies told by some of the other media platforms. Well, actually, most other media platforms.

Merlin missed a lot being ‘away’ for 500 years. He missed the building of the modern era. And for a while, he regretted not being there for it. But one thing about regret is even if you feel it, there is nothing you can do to change your past mistakes. So Merlin just takes a minute or so to regret then moves on; as an immortal, it’s the only thing you can do to keep living. 

Remus tried to hand back the gift five times before Merlin finally got him to keep it. He was going on about how it was too precious of a gift to give to him, and that Merlin didn’t even need to get him a gift in the first place. Honestly, it just sounded a lot like excuses for him not to take the gift from Merlin’s point of view, so Merlin had to get bossy and just give him the gift and tell him he wasn’t taking it back no matter what he said. So that’s how Remus finally ended up with a magic proof computer. It was a wonder beyond all wonders. It was amazing even if Remus didn’t know exactly how to work it for the first few days. But after another visit from Merlin and a quick and easy explanation and a little written guide by Merlin himself. Remus got the hang of it pretty quickly. And he was wondering why wizards never thought of this as a high priority before right now.

The information that you could grasp at your fingertips with such ease, Remus was flabbergasted. He couldn’t believe how far Muggles had advanced in such a short time. In one of Merlin’s visits, he told Remus that computers, cell phones, and the like were new inventions. That only happened in the current century, more like the last 20 or so years. And that astounded Remus even more. It got him thinking what had wizards done during the previous 20 years or so that was as amazing as this.  That you could create something so amazing in just 20 years. The fact that he could type in a question and the answer would be right there. No more looking through old dusty textbooks, having to memorize everything. This would make the world or at least the Wizarding world so much easier. 

Merlin has rattled off his ideas about starting up a company. In making more magic safe tech. Merlin didn’t want to stop at computers, he wanted to continue on to cell phones and something called a printer and televisions. And he wanted to make it accessible for things like school. But he wasn’t sure if it would hit off as much as he hoped it would. Remus corrected him quite quickly, saying how it was a fantastic piece of magic he created. Remus told Merlin how the spell to make the laptop indestructible was a masterpiece of itself. Let alone that it actually was magic proof—something no other wizard had accomplished before. 

Remus on more than one occasion told Merlin he was a genius, that at such a young age he created a spell in four months and how great a feat it was and that he should be very proud of it, but Merlin, as he is, just shook off the compliment and said it was no big deal. To Merlin, it wasn’t a big deal, he has created hundreds of spells. This one, though quite amazing, if he had to admit it. 

But after creating half the spells in the wizarding world, it wasn’t the most significant accomplishment. Also, he’s not a kid. Merlin hasn’t been a kid in a very long time. He’s had years of experience and basically knows the inner workings of almost every spell in the book. Hell, he probably wrote most of the books himself. It’s not so much that he is a genius, but more so that if he didn’t know it by now, he would feel like the idiot, he was always called, _truly_.

After leaving Remus’ shop, he headed to Gringotts. Merlin had a few things to take care of before building a business and getting his name out there. First things first, he had to get a credible name. So off to go see if the goblins will make a fake identity for him. Technically he was part of the house of Emrys, an old probably forgotten house with no heirs. Until now, he was the last and only heir. But the problem is if anyone looked back, they would find that he looks incredibly, unbelievably, astonishingly, identical to his ancestor from 500 years ago, a carbon copy. 

It’s not that weird, but it’s something he doesn’t want people to look into in the first place. Merlin wants to blend in. So he’s going to go to the goblins to see  _ if _ they would fake a lineage. Merlin knows how they get all uptight about legal and actual details, and how important it is not to joke of these things, but when do they get a case of an immortal like him. 

Walking into Gringotts seemed that something was going on. It was a big cluster of witches and wizards gossiping. That's the only thing you could call that. It was a bunch of wizards and witches standing in a circle watching two kids and an older gentleman. They were clearly gossiping with hands over their mouths and whispering to each other. At first, Merlin had no idea what was going on. Until he recognized one of the children. Not that he knew the child himself, but his face was plastered all over the paper. And every single newspaper talked about him. 

Harry Potter, or as the media liked to call him ‘The Savior of The Wizarding World’ or ‘The Boy Who Lived.’ Merlin honestly felt like it was a lot to put on a little kid like that. Especially after his horrendous past how his parents got murdered. Overall he just felt bad for the kid who had a terrible destiny ahead of him. He sympathized with the kid. 

_But_ every era has a problem like this. A new dark lord rises up _no matter how many times you beat them into the ground_. And Merlin was a relic of the past, _he shouldn't interfere with the present_. Not that he didn't want to. But no matter what side he joined, it was a clear victory for that side. His magic overpowered, probably any wizard of this day and age. Back when he was younger, less experienced, there were plenty of sorcerers that could easily best him. But now? No chance. 

If you were to put magic into two different classes, there would be old magic, like the old religion. And there would be newer magic, some wizards and witches a few years ago started calling new religion, but he thought it was the stupidest thing. And obviously, the name didn't travel with time. 

It’s more likely that the old religion was forgotten about, and magic is just now magic to those who don't know of the past. But the thing is that nobody realizes that old magic is different than new magic. It's far stronger but harder to control. Obviously not for Merlin, he's had it for so long that if he doesn't know it by now, he is an idiot. Also, he is kind of made as a conduit for magic. And the old magic to him is probably the easiest to use. 

Merlin can use the new magic, but he finds it annoying and pointless since he already has his own magic that works perfectly fine. He did learn it, though, so that he could blend in better. Because apparently, wandless magic was weird after a few centuries. 

Merlin has a wand. But he finds no use for it. Technically he doesn't need it. It doesn't amplify his magic. It doesn't help him in any way. It's just a stick. No, literally, it's just a stick. It doesn't have a core. It's just a stick that he made look like a wand. He just Confundus’ people when they need to do a wand check, should he ever need it done. 

Merlin does carry it around with him, now that he got it out of Gringotts, but he rarely ever uses it, most of the time he forgets even there. He technically doesn't need it, so it's easy to forget. Every time he sees someone use a wand, he remembers it's there but never really finds a need for it either way.

Not that any of this is important at this moment. Back to what's happening in front of Merlin, real-time. Even though he doesn't really intend to get involved with the whole dark lord fighting evil crap. He feels bad just leaving this kid getting swarmed by a bunch of random older people. The older person with him is trying his best to keep people at bay, but it's not really working out. So Merlin wandlessly and without uttering a word walks up near the group and casts Sonorus on himself to amplify his voice. 

“Hey, you lot! Leave the kid alone and get on with your business! I'm sure he has much better things to do than having a group of adults stand there and whisper in his face! Move Along! Hurry on! Go about your day! Thank you!” Merlin canceled the spell walking up to Harry Potter and friends. 

“Sorry about that, thought that you could use some help. I can't imagine being stalked and having everyone just staring. Honestly, it's not a life for me. I'm used to the shadows, and I prefer it. Glory is overrated.” Merlin says, holding his hand out to all those in front, shaking all 3 of their hands. 

The last person who shakes his hand is a red-headed young boy with a freckled face says, 

“Blimey, that was amazing, I have to learn that spell.”  Shaking his hand more feverishly than the others. 

“Yeah, thanks mate, it was getting annoying. But if I say anything, it gets twisted somehow in the paper, and that's a bloody nightmare.” Says the other young boy, who is obviously Harry Potter, with his messy black hair and emerald-green eyes. 

The oldest of the group, which is strikingly similar in looks to the red-headed boy, perhaps his father, pats Merlin on the back, 

“Thank you lad, I couldn't have done it better myself. I have to treat you to a drink sometime.” He told Merlin, smiling as he watched the crowd disperse, all looking at Merlin with semi scared expressions. 

“Oh, no problem, don't worry. I couldn't just sit by and watch. Also, you come to a bank and do business not to stare at other customers. I was only just being nice. And it was nice to meet you all. I'm new in town, and I don't know very many wizards and witches in Britain. Actually, truth be told, I only know one.” Merlin says, chuckling, thinking of his friend Remus sitting in his empty store, that seems to never have any customers but him.

Not that Merlin is really a customer. 

“Well, then you're more than welcome to be my friend if you keep away the vultures like that,” Harry says, smiling at Merlin. 

Before Merlin can laugh, the older man admonishes Harry for calling them vultures. 

“Oh, that reminds me, I should probably introduce myself, Myridian Emrys, at your service,” Merlin says with the complete bow and everything, being overly dramatic. 

But it gets a laugh out of the children in the group. 

“I’m Harry Potter, but I feel you know that already.” 

Merlin nods, while the next kid introduces himself, 

“I’m Ron Weasley and that my dad.” 

Then, of which, Ron's father replies,  “Arthur Weasley, nice to meet you.” 

Merlin slightly, barely, unnoticeably flinched; at the first name. But otherwise didn't show that it affected him at all. Plastering a smile onto his face.

Merlin was going to continue with the conversation up until a goblin walked up to him. Not just one goblin, rather two, when the second came into view. One seeming to have business with him as he recognized him from the last time and the other staring intently at the other group, obviously having business with them. Before his goblin could speak to him, he overheard with the other goblin was saying that piqued his interest. 

“Harry Potter, you're here for the papers you need for your trial correct. I have them in my office. I was trying to call you over, but you seemed unable to hear me. Hurry along now.” 

Merlin tilted his head, trial? What trail? He doesn't remember reading about a trial in the paper. Though, with how much of a laugh he had about the Azkaban Escape exaggerated stories, he doubted he would remember any other account in the newspaper. 

“Sorry, what trail?” He asked, purely out of curiosity. 

The goblin that was trying to escort them into his office, grumpily turned, about to rant at Merlin. Until he looked at Merlin and quickly shut his mouth. Seeming to rethink what he was about to yell. However, Merlin didn't notice any of this, though Mr. Weasly thought it weird, but also didn't mention anything. 

But instead answered his question,

“It should have been in this morning's paper. Unfortunately, the ministry has decided that Harry should be put on trial for the underage use of magic. And also using magic in front of a muggle, technically breaking the statue of secrecy. Both are fraudulent charges, they are blatantly trying to discredit Harry, and none of it is even true.” Mr. Weasley said slowly, growing more agitated by the minute. 

But Merlin wasn't any better. This was complete and utter bullshit to him. This supposed smear campaign on Harry's name was going a little too far, even from Merlin’s point of view. Not even knowing the whole situation, Merlin could only assume that this kid would use magic to protect himself, and probably the stupid muggle who saw him use magic in the first place. Considering how much trouble the kid attracts to himself, intentionally or otherwise. 

“They're putting a child on trial. This is so profoundly stupid and complete and utter hogwash if you ask me. It makes me wonder who we are actually letting run our government. Hearing this gives me a headache, I can't imagine what being the center of this conundrum would feel like. This just reminds me that I have to start getting more involved since I can and have the power to do so.” Merlin says the last part offhandedly, not really talking to anyone, more so to himself. 

“You don't even know the story, and you're taking my side?” Harry Potter asks, looking sort of stunned. 

“Well first things first, any government that completely denies the existence of a threat without even putting any precautions in place is stupid and most likely untrustworthy. Two, you used magic, and you used it in front of a muggle. These charges are stupid. Personally, I think the statute of secrecy is the dumbest thing in the world. I believe that Muggles and Magic folk should coexist, but I realize that that is not something that this world can comprehend yet. And can't you just obliviate the Muggle worst-case scenario. As long as the muggle doesn't remember anything, your secret is safe. The use of underage magic, well, I find that it’s limiting to children, and I don't believe in it. I can see where the restrictions are good so that kids don't blow themselves up by accident, but to put someone on trial for it is complete and utter hogwash.” Merlin said, speaking directly to Harry. 

All three men look shocked and appreciative of Merlin. Glad that finally, someone agrees. 

“I hope more people share your opinion,” Harry says, feeling a little bit hopeful that if at least one person out there deems him innocent, then maybe there are more out there like him.

And hopefully, all those people will see his trial and will conclude him not guilty. Merlin hopes for Harry as well. About to let the goblin who was increasingly tapping his foot get on with doing whatever he had to do with Harry about his trial. Yet Merlin had one last question. 

“Actually, I had one question before I let you do what you came here to do. I'm actually going to be opening a business soon. Once I get all the paperwork figured out here. I was wondering since you are both students currently. Do you think that you would find a use for electronics, should they work with magic around?” Merlin said to both Harry and Ron. 

“Elle Ronics? What's that?” Ron asked, clueless to any of the new modern advances. This is part of the reason why Merlin wanted to introduce his products to schools. 

“It's Electronics, Ron. He means like the telly and the computer and the cell phone. Don't they break around magic, though? I thought that's the reason why we couldn't use them.” 

Merlin nodded his head, “Yes, but let's say that’s something of the past. If Electronics could withstand magic, would they be useful in school? Like writing papers and searching up information and keeping a schedule and taking better notes. And even having fun using it for games and such. Does that sound like something other kids would like? I mean, if I'm making a product, I would like to know who I'm designing it for.” 

Mr. Weasley walked up closer to Merlin almost in his face, and put a hand on his shoulder, 

“You know how these things work? The computer and the cell phone. And you found a way to make them work with magic? That's ingenious. You must tell me all about it. That's it, we're going to have drinks, another day. I must have drinks with you, and we must talk about the electronics that you work with,” Said an over-excited Arthur Weasley.

His love and fascination for all things muggle was showing. Merlin was not deterred; however, he was actually quite excited that someone other than himself was interested in this. Remus was more amazed than interested. He thought it was useful, but he didn't care to really dig in deep and know how it works. Obviously, Mr. Weasley was more than happy to sit down and have a chat all about muggle technology. And Merlin was all for it. It seems he had some drinking in his future. 

“Sure, I’d be happy to. Actually, the reason why I'm starting this business is that, after four months, I finally figured out how to make a computer magic proof. Of course, you can't go out telling my secrets to just anyone. But I think you guys are a trustworthy lot. I just wanted some opinion from real students, while I had you, boys, in front of me.” Merlin said to the group. 

“Well, from what you mentioned, it sounds bloody brilliant,” Ron said, his mind mainly on the games that Merlin mentioned. 

“I'm sure Hermione would love it. She's our friend that goes to school with us. She spends hours in the library. I'm sure she'd love a computer. If it does all the things, you say it does.” Harry says imagining what Hermione could do with a computer, she’d be unstoppable. 

“Yeah, maybe she'll be too busy with it, so she can stop nagging us about homework and the importance of studying,” Ron said, mimicking Hermione's nagging voice, but then got elbowed in the stomach by Harry.

Harry wholeheartedly agreed with him; it's just if he's going to talk bad about Hermione, he should do it in front of her. So she can at least get him back for it. 

“I see, that's good. Now that I know I have eagerly waiting customers, I should get on with my business so that hopefully sometime this school year, you could go to school using computers. And I've held you up long enough.” Merlin promptly turned towards the goblin, who looked about 5 minutes away from exploding in anger. 

No matter how much he was awed by Merlin, he was on his last straw. The goblin waiting for Merlin was in no rush and actually looked like he was interested in the conversation that he was hearing. 

“I apologize. Thank you for not interrupting, and I will let you get on your way. Again, so sorry.” Merlin said to Ron, Harry, and Mr. Weasley as well as the goblin. 

After that, the goblin in front of Harry Potter and his friends lead them off to a private room. Once they left Merlin sight, he turned to the goblin in front of him, 

“Sorry to have kept you waiting. But most of what I told them was what I was going to tell you as well, so this just saves time in the end. Can we also walk into a private room? If it's no trouble.” Merlin says as an afterthought. 

“ Of course, Mr. Emrys, please follow me.” The goblin says, leading Merlin off to a different room. 

It was most likely his room, seeing as there was a lot of gold everywhere, and it said his name on the desk, so that was probably the biggest giveaway. 

“Now, what business do you have with the bank?” The goblin asked, taking a seat behind his desk while Merlin took the comfy looking blue chair across from it. 

“I have some information to disclose with you. I would like to make you my personal accountant over my funds. But by doing so, I would like to share with you some information about my background, and I require complete privacy. Will that be a problem?” Merlin asked, finally getting serious and down to business. 

“No, of course not Mr. Emrys. Confidentiality is something I can swear to.” 

Merlin nodded, “If you would, please.” 

The goblin nodded, standing up, not needing a wand. 

He just says, “ I swear upon my magic to not let any information that you tell me reach the ears of another unless you give me permission, so mote it be.” 

Merlin smiled thankfully, ready to get into business now.

He folded his legs, leaning back into the chair. 

“Now, I know you know who I am. I know all magical creatures can tell. And I want you to understand that I haven't been present in the Wizarding World for a very long time. And as such, I have no credible identity to walk into the world with. Seeing as I want to start a business. I need an identity that I can work with. I've already introduced myself as Myridian Emrys, so I would like that to be my new identity. I wondered if you could give me a set of papers to make it look like I actually exist. And that I actually have a lineage that goes beyond myself. I understand that faking a lineage as old as mine is against some rule probably. But I hope you take into consideration my special case.” 

The goblin listens along silently as Merlin states his case. It was true that Merlin was in a unique situation. And he was Emrys, so he didn't see why not. What goblin in their right mind would mess with or deny Emrys? Not that he would ever say that to Merlin's face. 

“That's no problem, Mr. Emrys. As you said, your case is special. More like one of a kind. Immortality is not something that befalls just anyone.” 

Merlin grimaced but nodded, 

“If it's no trouble, I would also like papers for the muggle world. I will pay all the fees needed for this, no problem.” Merlin added as an afterthought. 

He didn't mind the cost that this would probably rack up. This was an essential step he needed to move forward with his life in this new world. 

“Of course, if you would just give me a few moments.” The goblin said, leaving the room seeming to gather up all the information he would need to create a fake identity for Merlin.

After 3 hours of paperwork and setting up separate bank accounts that he was going to use for his work budget. Merlin left Gringotts with an ID and passport and a bunch of papers that explained that he was one, Myridian Emrys. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merlin meets Harry Potter oh my God! This was not how he was going to meet Harry Potter. I had a plan and that went right out the window when I thought of this chapter. 
> 
> It also gives you a good timeline. 
> 
> I was deciding to tell everyone that I moved the timeline for when this started back a little bit. I want to say that when all of the people escaped Azkaban, it happened the moment the last book ended. And all this time has been going on in the summer before the fifth year. It's all happening currently right before the trial, where Harry meets the toad and the Minister of magic and all that bullshit. 
> 
> But I hope you all enjoyed and give me more time for the next chapter since I am not going to be posting it so quickly as I did for this chapter. I just got overly excited and couldn't help myself. 
> 
> **I realize that maybe the wizard magic swearing thing, doesn't apply to Goblins, I've never seen anyone else write it like this before but for my story, that's how it happened and that's the end of it. I mean it doesn't really need to be so strict cannon-ly speaking**


	7. A Wizarding Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello back again. 
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing these chapters because I really enjoy the world that I’m creating. Well partially creating but still. I am hyped about this chapter because it’s really good but I am even more excited about the next chapter that I have even yet to write. I got the idea two days ago and I have been gunning to finish this chapter so that I can get to the next one.
> 
> That is to say, this chapter didn’t go how I originally planned but definitely got better as I was writing it. There’s a lot of friendship bonding in this chapter and we get to meet some new characters. I think everyone will enjoy it and hopefully, the next chapter will be soon.
> 
> Oh, but also, unfortunately, school starts again on the 26th for me. UGH.

Weirdly, somehow, the headline of the daily prophet was not about Azkaban today, yet somehow still about Merlin. The headline read, 

“Resurgence of an Old Family,” and the article read,  “ _ An old family, once thought to have died out 500 years ago. Yet, somehow today, the long-lost heir appears. From what I have found out, after talking to some contacts in the ministry and as little information as I could get from the Goblins in Gringotts, I have found out that a young man has laid claim to the noble and most ancient house of Emrys. One of the oldest magical families to date. I have found out that his name is Myridian Emrys. But unfortunately, I have yet to see him, so I was unable to capture a picture of him. But rather than a picture, I would rather know what he's going to do with that vast sum of inheritance. It seems like there hasn't been anyone to claim the inheritance since 500 years ago when the last heir was spotted. I am dying to have an interview with this young man. But I will continue searching for new information either way as I always do.~”  _

The article went on and on and on, about pointless stuff, that wasn’t so concrete about Merlin. It was more that the journalist, whoever wrote this, was adamant in pleading to the paper that they had to have an interview with Merlin. Not that Merlin cared unless it was publicity for his store; he was not interested in the newspaper or interviews or whatever bullshit they thought of having him out in the world for everyone to see. He wasn't a fan, and he wasn't going to do it. Merlin expected a paper like this to appear, it was inevitable. He just hoped they didn't find this first name. But at least it would give him some publicity for his store when it opens up. 

No matter how unshocked Merlin was, that could not be said for his little group of friends. Reading the same paper today, they were all shocked. Remus, who was tiredly still sitting in the store that morning, having fallen asleep in the cot in the back, was staring at the paper with an open mouth. What the bloody hell? No matter what scenario his brain supplied that this can be someone else, the name shot it down immediately. A most noble and ancient house? The kids seemed homeless when he first met him. Dressed in rags and covered in dirt and grime, not that Remus was judging, it's just that it's such a difference, that it's so shocking. 

Harry Potter, who was currently living in the burrow, was also shocked, having expected his trial to be the headline, yet instead, it being the bloke he’d met at Gringotts yesterday. He did come off a little off a bit posh yesterday, but there was no way that would lead him to think he was from some old family. He quickly grabbed Ron and walked over to Mr. Weasley to show them the paper. 

“Look, guys, it’s that bloke we met yesterday!” Harry said to both the Weasleys holding out the paper so they could see the article. 

“Bloody hell, he’s from an old rich family, I did not see that coming,” Ron shouted, drawing the attention of others who were still slowly eating breakfast. 

“Oh, you mean the young man from yesterday talking about the... whatcha called them, Harry, Ele-ronics, or something.” Said Mr. Weasley, not having yet seen the paper since Ron was basically covering the whole thing with his big head. 

“Yeah, him,” Harry said, letting go of the paper so Hermione could take it and read it herself. 

“Mione, you should have seen this bloke yesterday, we were standing in Gringotts, and a bunch of nosy vultures decided to crowd around Harry, and we were stuck because we couldn't do anything about them. And this guy just walks up and cast a spell, you know the one Dumbledore uses when he speaks really loud, and he told them to stop watching and move on. It was the most brilliant thing I've ever seen.” Ron said, starting to recount what was happening yesterday. 

So that everyone around the table could know what they were talking about. 

“Oh, well, that was nice of him. We could use more people like that.” Mrs. Weasly said with a smile on her face. 

“Oh yeah, Hermione, I forgot to tell you because of all the trial stuff that we were talking about yesterday, but this guy Myridian said he created a magic proof laptop,” Harry said offhandedly. 

“What!” Hermione screeched. 

Harry and Ron and Fred grabbed their ears as they were sitting the closest. 

“That’s amazing! How’d he do it? For years, I read that wizards have been trying to find a way for the new muggle tech and magic to work, but they could never get it right. I thought it was impossible, and sort of illegal. I can’t believe he did it. He must be a genius and crazy.” Hermione said, rereading the article as if it was suddenly going to have more information than she read before. 

“Well, he asked us for our opinion, since he seemed like he was going to open a business selling them,” Ron said, starting to get excited after seeing Hermione literally vibrating in her seat.

“Really! Oh, Merlin, I can’t wait. It would make school so much easier! To have Google again, I can’t wait.” Hermione said happy, swinging happily from side to side in her chair. 

Though the latter part was lost on all the wizards and witches in the room that knew nothing about muggle technology. 

As all of Merlin’s friends talked about him, unbeknownst to him. Merlin, however, had a plan of action today. Since he finally exists, again, he started to scout out locations for his store. He didn’t want to make all his products in his house, as much as he loved his house and loved to spend time in it, that wasn’t where he wished to work. Keeping work and home life separate as you do. He searched popular wizarding districts around Britain. Looked for all the open spaces. There were three that stuck out—one two-story place in Diagon Alley. And two large spaces in Hogsmeade, the plus for those, was them being really close to a school. Hogwarts, to be exact. 

Merlin’s been a few times over the years. He went under his real name the first time, got sorted into Slytherin. To Merlin, it was fun seeing the children of the magical world at their height, smiling and happy. It felt like he had made a difference, but he didn’t take part in the founding. He wasn’t in Britain at the time. 

As long as his life is, it wasn’t his only time at Hogwarts, he went a total of ten times. But never using his real name again. After that, he used an array of M.E. names. Eventually making a fake lineage for himself, using the surname Emrys. And somewhere along the way, he became a noble and most ancient house. Hogwarts was fun, but he’s not interested in going to school, he’s got plenty to do at the moment. Maybe in another century. Merlin has all the time in the world, it’s already been 1,500 years what’s a few centuries more?

After debating for a few days on which location to settle on, Merlin decided to open a store in Diagon Alley. Hogsmeade was tempting to him, but apparently, all the students got their supplies from Diagon Alley so better for business. Plus, it was a two-story building in Diagon Alley, and that would leave him more room to work. If the company was successful enough, Merlin could always open another store. 

But at the moment, one shop was sufficient for him. Buying the building was no hassle whatsoever. He had more than enough money, and his Wizarding credentials now checked out. News spread fast that he purchased the store. Nobody knew what he was going to sell, and nobody had yet to catch a glimpse of him yet. It was only a matter of time, though, yet Merlin was trying to stay in solitude for as long as he could. 

Since creating Remus’ laptop, Merlin has created ten more. It was a bit slow going, and he wasn't ready to open the shop just yet, but he figured if he could simplify the spell a little bit, he could hire some wizards and witches to work for him. And he wanted to also create more than just laptops. He was working on an indestructible and magical proof phone. 

Cell phones were a wonderful creation. Merlin had already memorized the inner workings of a cell phone, and that was step one. Now he just needed to recreate the spell he used for the computer, except he had to miniaturize it since the cell phone was so much smaller than a laptop. And also, the cell phone had a different function than the computer. 

Merlin was also running into another problem for the computer. There was no database full of magical information, just muggle information. And he couldn't just make a website lest he breaks the statue of secrecy by accident. He had to go over to the Ministry of Magic to work this out. Merlin thought it was a huge hassle, and he didn't want to do it, but he eventually figured out that he needed to if you ever wanted to evolve his work and try to integrate as best as he can back into the Muggle world. 

However, Merlin also didn't know where the Ministry of Magic was. Technically he shouldn't be able to apparate into the Ministry of Magic. He could, it's just that he knows it would be weird if he did. Merlin has slowly been learning about the Magical side of the world. Well, more like catching up on what he wasn’t here for. Though Merlin  _ can _ bypass most of the spells that would prevent him from doing things if he was a normal witch or wizard. If he does bypass them, it will bring unwanted attention to him, which he does not want. No, he wants to blend in as best as possible. Even though he could still just pop on in, it would be frowned upon because it would make him stand out. However, he had no idea where the entrance was since he never needed it nor ever used it before. 

But he knew one wizard who could help! Good ol’ Remus Lupin, his favorite wizard and only friend in this day and age. 

A loud ‘CRACK’ was heard as Merlin made his entrance apparating into Remus’ shop. Remus who was ever vigilant and more sensitive to loud sounds still spooked, even though it could only be one wizard. Remus walking out from the back came to face a grinning Merlin, who always looked too happy. 

“Remus! How was your day?” Merlin said enthusiastically, Merlin's day was going good so far.

The impending headache he was going to get from the ministry later on today, he was trying to not let it spoil his mood. 

“I’ve been doing fine, Myridian. I read about you in the paper; it was you, right?” Remus asked curiously. 

Merlin’s smile slid right off his face, “Yeah, it’s me. I don't know how anyone found out. Probably someone in the ministry. I told the goblin to keep quiet about it, but I guess someone had to know. But I'm still just me.” Merlin said, mumbling the first half. 

“Nothing has to change, right?” Merlin asked, not wanting to lose his friend.

Remus shook his head, surprised. He half expected Merlin to change into a different person after finding out he was from a noble and most ancient house, but instead, he seemed even more conservative about who he was. He kind of reminds him of Harry. Someone who shies away from the spotlight, someone who can't help but be in it but never really wants to be there. At least that's how Remus felt.

“No, nothing has to change, sorry if it came out that way. Anyway, what brings you on over. Have you finally decided to empty out your storage locker, or are you going to show me another cool muggle tech thing you’ve been working on.” Remus says, swiftly changing the subject. 

Merlin grins again, “Stop rushing me, my things will be emptied out of the storage unit in due time. Otherwise, what's going to be the excuse I can come over here for. And no, I don't have any cool new electronics to give you. Actually, I've come to ask you a question. I need directions to the Ministry of Magic. I have no idea where the entrance is, and I wondered if you could point me in the right direction.” Merlin said, making the ‘please’ gesture with his hand. 

Remus’ head briefly turned to where the fireplace was sitting innocently. Did he not know? Probably not, since it wasn't so advertised in the first place. Well, to Remus, this was going to be the easiest request he would ever ask, considering all he had to do is pointing to the fireplace. 

“You can use this fireplace,” Remus said, pointing to the back room with just a fireplace sitting in it. 

Merlin, however, looked confused. The floo existed 500 years ago, but Merlin never used it, since apparating never made him feel sick, nor did it ever limit him from going anywhere he never needed another form of travel. Hence why he doesn’t know what the floo is. 

“Fireplace?” Merlin asks, looking at the fireplace curiously but with doubt. 

“The Ministry of Magic is connected to the floo network. How do you not know that?” Remus asks, curiosity reaching a tipping point. 

For his part, Merlin just scratches his head, “I don’t know what the floo network is. I assume it’s a form of travel since it will take me to the Ministry of Magic. But beyond that, I don’t know. I haven’t been to the British Ministry of Magic in a long time. As I told you, I was indisposed until recently. I’m a little lacking in information.” Merlin said, trying to lie without lying. 

Personally, Merlin didn’t like lying. It gave a bad taste in his mouth. He understands the necessity of it in certain situations, but he still doesn’t like to lie to friends. He tries to avoid it if at all possible. He never wants a repeat of the past. He vowed to be truthful as best he can, even if that was increasingly hard for an immortal magical person such as himself. 

“Sorry, I forget sometimes. I guess I assumed you of being someone you're not. Let me show you how it works. I’ll teach you something for a change. Come over here.” Remus said, leading Merlin into an old dusty room, a room that looked like nobody had used it in a few years. 

He walked Merlin over to the fireplace and searched around a bit for a little green bag. Inside the green bag was green powder. He handed the bag over to Merlin to hold. Merlin inspected the green powder, putting his finger in it and sniffing it. He wouldn’t taste it, but he thought it might be frowned upon. Remus then took out his wand and lit the fireplace on fire. 

“Some history for starters I suppose, it has been in use for centuries, the Floo Network, while somewhat uncomfortable, has many advantages. Firstly, unlike broomsticks, the floo network can be used without fear of breaking the International Statute of Secrecy. Secondly, unlike Apparition, there is little to no danger of serious injury. Thirdly, it can be used to transport the children and the elderly." He then took some of the green dust in his hand, proceeding to throw it into the fire watching as the flames turn green as an after effect—all the while doing this instructing Merlin what he was doing step-by-step. 

”First, to take this. This is an essential ingredient to use the floo network. This is floo powder, you take a handful of this and throw it into the fire. The flames will then turn green. And before stepping into the fire state where you wish to go and some places will have passwords and whatnot, but for the Ministry of Magic, you just have to state where you want to go loud and clear and step into the flames. Don’t panic, it won’t burn, it's magic fire and all that. Also note, elbows in, better for you in the end. If you want, can I go with you for the first time? I’m not busy right now.” Remus said, gesturing to the empty, quiet store.

Merlin also looked around and nodded better safe than sorry. 

“Has there ever been any weird instances going through the floo?” Merlin asked in curiosity, it being sparked over the new magic in front of him. 

Remus scratched his chin and thought about what he remembered reading during his Hogwarts days when he was also interested. 

“If I remember correctly, I think I remember reading about a witch who traveled through the floo into the future after misstating the wrong place she wished to go. Apparently, a lot of people swore off using the floo then thinking she vanished, but apparently, she somehow traveled through the floo and ended up in the future. But it’s a sporadic occurrence, and I doubt it will really ever happen again. As long as you stated clearly what you want, I’m sure there will be no trouble. We can go together even though it will be quite a squeeze.” Remus offered again, interesting Merlin even further. 

Time travel, the existence of time turners, one of Merlin’s own creations, filtered into his stream of thought. How interesting. 

“Well, I'll take you up on it. I have to say I’m interested, but I would not like to end up in the wrong place, no matter how fun that may seem. I actually have a list to do today. I need to make sure my products aren’t breaking the statue of secrecy. Otherwise, I would never wish to step into the Ministry of Magic.” Merlin said, telling Remus of his plans. 

“I also might as well poach some smart minds, see if they’d work for me,” Merlin said in an afterthought. 

Remus was nodding along. Finally, he grabbed a handful of floo powder, throwing it in the fire again. 

He grabbed Merlin’s arm and shouted,  “Ministry Of Magic!” As Remus stepped in, pulling Merlin after him. 

It was dirty, was Merlin’s first thought. He appeared with Remus in the Ministry of Magic. Both men covered head to toe in soot. Thanks to Remus, Merlin didn’t fall down. It was exciting and fast, but oh so dirty. Merlin, who thankfully remembered to pull out his wand as he cleaned off both Remus and himself. He cast it wordlessly, which intrigued Remus even more, to how interesting of a young wizard he was. The next thought in Merlin’s mind was, so many people. There were so many witches and wizards that even though the room was so big, it felt somehow claustrophobic to Merlin. Not that Merlin really ever felt claustrophobic, but if he did, he feels like this is what it would feel like. 

There were rows of other fireplaces that look just like the one he and Remus stepped out of. Remus looked non-pulsed as this was what it always looked like to him. Hoping not to sound too bothersome, Merlin looked at Remus with pleading eyes and asked, 

“Would you also mind showing me where to go. I’m afraid I’ll be in here for hours if I try it alone. Hey, if you do, I’ll give you the latest new cell phone... once I figure out how to make it work.” Merlin said, even though he already planned to give Remus all his finished products anyway. 

Remus would gladly accept; however, he was already getting a stink eye from a few people who recognized him as the werewolf he was. He liked Myridian; he didn’t want to drag him down with him. Remus was about to decline, saying he pointed in the right direction, and he was sure Myridian was smart enough to figure it out himself. Yet Merlin also noticed the stares. 

“Why are they giving us that look?” He asked curiously. 

Merlin wondered what he did wrong now, not even guessing it had anything to do with Remus. Remus, however, frowned and looked down at his feet, feeling embarrassed and a little bit ashamed. Not that he should ever feel that way, but the society didn’t accept werewolves or half breeds, and they were cruel. But Remus also decided that he shouldn’t lie to Myridian, because it would be better if he found out now before he got too attached and it would hurt more later on.

“They are staring at me,” Remus said solemnly, trying to drag it out because he didn’t really want to say it in the first place. 

“You? Why? What did you do?” Merlin asked, not seeming to read Remus’ mood at all. 

“It’s because I’m a werewolf.” He whispered. 

Merlin’s head tilted, he seemed like he was waiting for more. But when nothing came, he became angry. He glared at the people staring at them. 

“Only because you’re a werewolf? That’s it! What the bloody hell is wrong with people? All magical creatures are the same. Every wizard and witch is part magical creature, even if they don’t have any physical attributes as a werewolf or a mermaid or centaur. If only the real middle ages were this backward. At least back in the middle ages, magic was magic, even if you were a wizard, witch, centaur, or a freaking dragon even. Everything was classified as the same. It’s a stupid halfbreed argument again, isn’t it? Ugh, can the world not grow up. So considering the blood purity feuds that still happen, what did I really expect?” Merlin said, mumbling to himself by the end, yet Remus could clearly hear everything. 

“It doesn’t bother you then?” Remus asked, sort of hopeful, his mind was featuring memories of James and Sirius and the acceptance they showed him in Hogwarts. 

“What? No, not at all; in my books were all magical creatures, so what’s the difference between a werewolf and me. I knew this girl, when I was younger, she was cursed to transform every night into a bloodthirsty beast. She had no control over it, and she was killed for it. I know you have no control over the transformations. So how can I fault you for something that’s a part of you.” Merlin said solemnly, as he sadly remembered the death of his beloved Freya, his first and only love.

“The Remus I met is a very nice person who puts up with me and is very smart. So what if you happen to be a werewolf as well it just adds to your character.” Merlin said firmly so that Remus knew these were his true thoughts. 

Remus looked a little choked up but didn’t shed a tear nor act overly emotional. But in his eyes, Myridian was a fine young man, a good step in the right direction for the future of the Wizarding world. Pity he wasn’t involved in the government, yet at the same time better off for Myridian, thought Remus, lest corruption on his righteous mind.

Merlin slapped Remus on his shoulder, 

“Ignore the annoying stares, let’s head over to whoever deals with the statue of secrecy. Unfortunately, I do not know who that is, maybe I will have to ask someone. Unless you know?” Merlin asks as an afterthought. 

Remus thought about it, not exactly sure himself until he saw someone he recognized. 

“Hold on.” He told Merlin as he walked over to a bald, tall, dark-skinned wizard, with a set of black robes on. 

“Kingsley!” Remus says loudly enough to get the man's attention. 

“Oh, Remus! What brings you here?” He asks politely. 

Merlin walks forward curiously, wondering who Remus’ friend is. 

“Actually I was helping my friend, he needs to speak with someone about the statue of secrecy, but I’m not sure who to go to. Ah, let me introduce you, this is Myridian Emrys. Myridian, this is Kingsley Shaklebolt, an Auror and good friend.” Remus says, introducing the two. 

Kingsley's eyes widened, recognizing the name, “Oh, you’re the man talked about in the Daily Prophet. Nice to meet you. I have to say you’re younger than I thought you’d be.” 

Merlin nodded, understanding that now he can’t go on noticed even though he wishes to. 

“Yes, that is me. It’s a pleasure to meet Remus’ friends. An Auror? I’m sorry I’m a bit behind on some wizarding terminology, what is that?” Merlin asks, drawing even more attention to how weird he is.

The question on their minds is, how the hell can you not know what Auror is? 

“A witch or wizard, who enforces wizarding law,” Kingsley said, not being too weird, he figured Merlin may have been a half-blood who grew up in the muggle world. Also, the Muggle clothes he was wearing pointed heavily to that fact being true. 

“Oh, like a muggle police officer. I ran into one the other day, I walked right into him, not even paying attention to where I was going.” Merlin said, recalling the day he went outside to pick up lunch in muggle London and was staring at the sky looking at the buildings high up in the sky and walked right into a Muggle police officer. 

The man was very nice about it, not at all rude. Even at Merlin’s weird questions about why he was wearing a uniform and what it was, he did? Somewhat like this conversation. 

“Yes, like that. You need to talk to someone about the statue of secrecy, right. I don’t mean to rush this conversation, but I have something to do, so if you wouldn’t mind, I’ll gladly show you the way first.” Kingsley said as he started to point to an elevator. 

“Right right, sorry for the trouble, and thank you,” Merlin said, following him. 

Remus is unsure if he should come along now since Merlin already has a tour guide. But Merlin pulled him along anyway when he noticed Remus wasn’t following. 

The business with the statue of secrecy was annoying but fortunately not illegal. Considering this spell was game-changing for the magical community, it was passed through as not being illegal. Also, when Merlin told everyone his name, it was pushed a little bit harder through. Luckily for Merlin, his name carries weight in the Wizarding world. 

Apparently, being from a pure-blood family gets you places, which is no real surprise. Eventually, people stopped giving Remus the stink eye, because every time they did they were faced with an angry Merlin, nobody really wanted to get on his bad side, since they knew nothing about him yet. 

Word spread that they were friends. Not that it bothered Merlin in the slightest. It didn’t bother Remus either. But he was worried people wouldn’t like Merlin because of him. But Merlin quickly shut that down, saying if they didn’t like Remus because of him being a werewolf, then he didn’t want to be friends with them anyway. 

Remus also pulls Merlin out of the way when an overly pink toad of a woman walks by, he gives the explanation as not wanting to be recognized as she was a shrewd woman, yet not explaining any further, not wanting Merlin to make a fuss for his sake, even if that horrid woman gave him that boring job in the first place, and was one of the leading people to kick him from Hogwarts. He didn’t want to involve Merlin in his problems more so than he already did. 

They ended that day, having Merlin get helped back through the fireplace, back into Remus’ shop, as he was not yet confident to do it by himself. Merlin also asked Remus if he knew how to set up the fireplace that he had in his house, up to the floo network. Remus said he would show him how to do it another time, considering it was getting pretty late. Merlin left promising to hurry up with his new invention and come show it to Remus really quickly. 

Remus said he was looking forward to it, and Merlin left with another loud 'CRACK'. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merlin is pro werewolf FYI. As he explains very clearly in this chapter, he also becomes a little overprotective of Remus because he feels like everyone who hates on him is being an asshole which I totally agree with. 
> 
> Merlin is all about equal rights. He and Hermione will get along quite nicely in the future. Since they share similar ideas. 
> 
> Also, we meet Kingsley and we see a brief appearance of the toad. 
> 
> Actually I’ve been writing this chapter for so long I kind of forgot what the first half of this chapter was about. They also see Harry’s reaction plus the Weasley’s to him being a Lord.   
> That happened. I wrote the first half of this like two days ago so I kind of forgot, anyway all the cool exciting stuff happens in this really long chapter I wrote.
> 
> I wanted to end it a few paragraphs ago but I just had more to say and I couldn’t put it in the next chapter so here’s a really nice long chapter. I think this fanfiction is going to break my record for a word count for a single book. Let alone a single series.


	8. A Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo 5,000 words for this chapter. Sorry it's been awhile, I've been busy with school work, trying to get back into the groove of working again.
> 
> *This is me ranting over my shitty day, you can skip if you want*
> 
> So the 10th was my birthday. And I usually update a chapter on my birthday, but I was busy doing homework, so I didn't have time. I had a sad birthday this year. I didn't even get a cake. I got zero presents, and someone ripped up my birthday card, so yeah, I had a depressing birthday. I was actually really depressed yesterday, and I cried a few times, and it was probably my worst birthday ever.  
> I will admit I was kind of a bitch yesterday, but nobody was treating me nicely at all, so I thought my attitude was well-placed, but nobody agreed with me. I was upset because of the series of events that have happened. I was talking to someone, and mid-conversation, they took a phone call that was not important at all; they were gossiping to someone they wanted to talk to you more than me. Then I was at the store with that same person, and they told me they had a gift card, and I could use it. And so they said go pick out some clothes so I did and I looked at the gift card and I saw how much money was on it, and I started putting the clothes back because I went over the budget on the card and I didn't have any money on me. But the person was going to buy some of the clothes for me anyway, but I didn't know, so I was putting the clothes back, and they got upset with me. I was trying to be considerate and just buy one shirt and a jacket that I thought was cute. But they kept telling me my taste was ugly and that I should buy these way overpriced things. And they would also keep picking out clothes that I wouldn't wear. We got to the garage where they parked the car, And as we were driving back home, I was asking if I could get a drink. And they pulled into a store that I hate when they go to because they go and they shop for hours. I said I was just going to sit in the car because I didn't want to go into the store. And so they left me in the car, and I decided to go into the store myself and grab a drink because I was thirsty. But I saw a bag of chips that I liked, so I bought that and a drink with my own money and as it was being put into the bag and I paid. In walks said person, and they look at my bag and says loudly into the store, "I bet you filled it with candy and other stuff, right?" and then they proceeded to ask the lady who just bagged my stuff "what did she put in there? Candy?" I was embarrassed. And I found that really rude, which I then proceeded to tell them in the car later that it was rude of them to do that and embarrassing to me. But they took that as an insult, and I got upset and told them that they were bitchy to me all day. And then, of course, the insult got returned back to me. And the fight escalated, and the person who had given me the birthday card ripped it up in my face and then threw it at my face. And then I was done by then. 
> 
> I said, "you know what? I don't want to celebrate my birthday anymore. And I said I want to go home." and they were like, no, we're going to the Cake store, and we're buying a cake because your grandma wants to eat one. I said no and to get let me out of the car. And I thought she was going to drop me off a little bit closer to the house. But she drops me off like ten blocks away from my home, and it's like 90 degrees outside.
> 
> And the moment I got home, I was then blamed for ruining the party. They said I shouldn't have fought and got into an argument. They said I ruined the party. I ruined my own birthday party. Yeah, I had a fucking terrible day yesterday. And I cried a shit ton, and I'm fucking depressed as all hell. Because after all of that awful shit, I had to sit through a 3-hour class. I was miserable, and I still am. 
> 
> Sorry for the terrible rant, but I just needed to get it all out there, and you can clearly skip this.

Merlin woke up late the next day to an insisting tapping on his window. Groaning, he shot up glaring at the window, to find a small, black owl with yellow eyes. It was carrying a letter and still tapping on the window. Confused, Merlin looked to his stack of unmailed letters, since he did not buy an owl yet. He slowly got up and opened the window.

"Hello there. And who would have sent you? Who knows where I live, huh?" Merlin said softly, talking to the owl who just hooted twice as if it was talking back.

"I see you are from the Ministry of Magic. Whatever would they need me for?" Merlin proceeds to stun the bird by answering it.

The conversation went for a while. Merlin can't talk to all animals, no that would be absurd. But magically enhanced animals were the exception. Merlin slowly opened the letter reading it to the curious owl, who did not, in fact, know what was written inside; the owl had said the wizard who wrote it was grumpy and never gave her the good treats. To which Merlin summoned from his fridge those good treats, mainly leftover raw meat. The owl hooted pleasantly and was munching on the food in delight.

"Well, apparently, the idiots at the Ministry are forcing me to take a seat in the trial. Apparently, all pureblood families have to take a seat in the government, and such duties they have is attending high profile cases. They play the role of a jury. Apparently, all major families have to attend or have someone sitting in for them. Or the Minister will appoint someone of his choosing if I can't find someone. Ugh, what a pain." Merlin said, petting the owl who had already finished his treats.

Merlin tilted his head, "I heard about a trial; what trial was it again?" Merlin asked the owl who knew the answer.

She remembered hearing everyone was talking about a human boy named Harry Potter; she said as much in hoots.

"Oh right, that young boy at the bank, that's who told me about it. Hmmm, well, I might as well go this time. But I don't want to go every time, and I really don't want the current minister to pick anyone to speak for me, especially someone I don't know." Merlin thought deeply about it; he didn't trust anyone to speak for him.

Merlin wrote a quick reply that he would attend the trial himself, but he would need more time to pick a stand-in for taking his Emrys seat. He gave a few more treats to the owl and pet it's head a final time, then he attached the letter and sent it on its way, closing the window behind it.

Merlin thought about it for the rest of the day. While he was tinkering with the phone, trying to get it to work. Not that he would know if it did work unless he got it tested by Remus in the first place. But he'd tinker as much as he did his last product and then find Remus again. Since his magic is useless in the testing phase since his magic doesn't affect electronics in the first place. Creating magic and applying it, his magic was perfect for it, but his magic is unique to him, even when he was young. He was untrained then, but he was also different from other sorcerers and sorceresses. Merlin's magic was different from most magical humans. His magic was more the type of magic you would find in a magical beast.

Maybe being a dragon lord changed his magic, or maybe some unknown force affected his ability, but Merlin has always just been different. Not that Merlin enjoyed it all the time, but there were definitely perks from it. The overwhelming power, as well as the ability to adapt to any situation. Then his strong sense of magic in general and his ease of use. Merlin is probably the most skilled magic user on the planet, in this day in age and once he was fully trained in the past, then in the past as well. Of course, Merlin himself will deny it to his undying day, at least he did in the past. But there's no contest to it. There's no evidence to deny these claims.

But anyway now he had to think about what to do for the future of his company and the upcoming trial. Of course, Merlin wants to be a part of this trial, at least give some people in the Ministry his two cents on how they're doing such a piss poor job of managing this case of supposed underage use of sorcery. And how they're not looking at the facts first, instead of going headstrong into just trying to prosecute this child for something that is a mistake and probably is not even guilty of in the first place. And even if he is, to stop a child from using magic is stupid.

At least in Merlin's point of view, because he does not believe in the statue of secrecy at all. He understands the necessity of it _now_ , but he hates it overall. The idea that wizards and witches chose to hide themselves rather than integrate with Muggles just irks him, even though it's been going on for years, it still irks him. And deep down, he blames himself for never accomplishing what he wanted to accomplish when he was young about bringing Albion together and making magic legal.

But while he could do nothing about that now, he could at least pick out the outfit that would be semi-presentable and also completely Wizarding like. As much as he would love to stroll in, wearing a Muggle suit, he can't, because Merlin is supposed to be of pure blood descent, and he's supposed to show off his pure blooded-ness, whatever that is. Basically, he can't look like a muggle, as much as he would like to, he can't. When he represented his business, he could do whatever he wanted, but if he wanted to help Harry, he thought he might as well start with some sort of advantage. At least if he wore muggle clothing, it would be so much less clothing and so much cooler.

But he's forever grateful that he doesn't have to dress up as his old man persona at least this time around. At least he was younger this time around, not literally speaking, of course, but more physically speaking because he can't stand the aches and pains of being old, Merlin thanks the goddess that he never ages. As troublesome as it is, it's also pain-free. Though if there is one thing he wants more than anything is for the chance to grow old, preferably with people he likes around him. But that was a matter for another night, after getting drunk. Merlin put his phone on the table next to his bed and laid back, thinking that tomorrow would be different but more exciting than playing with the phone for another long day.

Anywho, after picking out a royal blue set of robes, he recently bought. He grabbed some nice suede black shoes. And his cell phone and he grabbed his laptop. Not that he really needed it, but he thought he could stop by to see Remus later. Thinking on that thought, Merlin also grabbed the basically done magic proof phone. Oh, and he almost left the house without it; the only wizard who would be Merlin. He almost forgot his wand of all things. But so typical.

He quickly apparated to Remus', wearing his full Wizarding regalia; he looked like a proper wizard; so much of a contrast from when he first walked in the shop looking like a homeless Muggle. He looked as pureblood as one could look, with the highest priced and latest fashion wizarding robes. Remus was expecting Merlin at this point, not because he knew he was coming but because who else could apparate into the shop. Except when he looked over and saw it was some random wizard since it looked so unlike Merlin, he stood up with his wand out, ready for a fight. Because if it wasn't Merlin, then who could it possibly be.

But he lowered his want to mediately after seeing that stupidly bright grinning face staring back at him. Remus let out a breath of relief, "Myridian, what are you wearing? Not that they're not nice robes, but you normally wear muggle clothing." Were the first words out of Remus' mouth.

The shock of his friend looking so different than the customary greeting right out the window.

"Hello to you too, Remus. I have business at the Ministry, unfortunately. You know that trial going on today? I have to go. I honestly don't know what the Ministry is thinking, putting a child on trial. I try not to get mad but, I can't help but want to punch the current minister and ask what he thinks he's doing." Merlin said, prattling off at the end about his apparent dislike for the Ministry and all those in positions of power.

However, Remus only heard the first part of what he was saying; he didn't expect Merlin to be part of Harry's trial. He knew about the way the trials worked, but he keeps forgetting that Merlin comes from a pureblood family. He wanted to ask Merlin to help Harry, but he didn't know exactly how to ask. Even though he figured they were friends, but what if he had a different opinion of Harry? Not that Remus thought that Merlin was a dark wizard, but you can never be too careful. Remus was quiet for a while, which made Merlin wonder what it was about? Of course, Merlin took it the wrong way, not a bad way… just a different way.

"Did you want to come? I'm sure if I insisted enough, I could maybe get you in. I mean, it wouldn't hurt to try if you wanted to go." Merlin said, thinking if he talked the right way, he could get anything he wanted.

Playing with aristocrats was his pastime, back in the old days.

Remus looked shocked, "Oh, oh, uh, no, no, they wouldn't like it if I was there. But, no, I taught Harry as his teacher in Hogwarts last year. He's family to me." Remus said he wasn't sure about saying that last part, but he trusted Merlin quite a bit.

Maybe it was his eccentric nature or just his big goofy grin, but Merlin was someone you could easily trust. And Remus was certainly not immune to his charms.

"Oh. You're friends with him? So am I, well sort of, I met him the other day at the bank. He told me about his trial then, but I completely forgot until I got an owl yesterday about it. They were getting crowded in the bank by a bunch of random people that just wanted to gawk. He was with a redheaded boy and the boy's father who invited me out for drinks to talk about electronics and whatnot, he seemed very interested." Merlin said, starting to recount his meeting with the boy who lived.

"Oh, I see. Since you're friends with Harry, so you'll help him?" Remus asked, feeling even more trust and friendship building.

Merlin smirked, "Maybe you should come, Remus! I plan to speak up quite a bit. I have a few things to say about the laws of this society. And from what Harry told me in the bank, the trial sounds utterly stupid, and it feels like it's been concocted just to smear Harry's name. And trust me, they're not getting away with that." Merlin, who is speaking so confidently with such a bright yet sadistic smile on his face that Remus believes in him, truly.

Sometimes Merlin seemed to have this sort of power behind his words, but Remus didn't really understand it; it just led him to believe a lot of the things Merlin, since so far, they all came true. But he was still apprehensive about coming along. He really did want to watch Merlin hand it to the Ministry, but he didn't want to bring down Merlin's social standing because of his status as a werewolf, even if Merlin didn't care about such things. But it seems he didn't have to ponder for very long because without even asking, Merlin just grabbed Remus' hand and apparated them both directly into the Ministry of magic. Now that Merlin had been there before, it was an easy task. But only an easy task for one such as himself since the wards around the Ministry of magic was even stronger than the ones around the shop.

If he were to have really apparated, he probably wouldn't have been able to get in. Still, the thing Merlin does is not really apparating; he teleports himself with old magic; he just mimics the cracking sound, and sometimes, if he's bringing someone along, he mimics the weird pulling in the navel feeling. It's the only reason he's able to break the wards because old magic trumps new magic every time. Even if the wards are old and incredibly strong, it's still made of new magic, and Merlin can get through any of them.

Luckily Merlin apparated them in a deserted hallway. He realized after seeing everyone else only come in through the fireplace that getting past the words or something probably only he could do. He didn't really mind if Remus knew. Merlin was kind of tempted to keep giving him hints to see if you could guess just how strong he was. Or maybe to figure out who he was. Merlin had told people before who he was truly. Even though most people didn't believe him at first, and some people took the secret to the grave. It wasn't a big secret, really, and it was a nice change of pace to be called by his real name instead of his charade of names he picked out throughout the centuries.

Predictably Remus freaked out a little bit. Partially from being suddenly teleported into the Ministry of magic and partially by realizing how strong Merlin was. It's obviously possible that someone could get through the wards, Remus had figured that out by standing where he was, but how powerful did that person have to be to bypass the strongest wards, maybe only beat in strength by Hogwarts' wards. Merlin was waiting for Remus to collect himself, it didn't take long, but the shock was forever plastered on his face as he stared at Merlin in wonder.

"Just how? How did you get so strong so quickly?" Remus finally asked in quick succession.

"I could tell you the answer to all your questions. Where would the fun in that be? Take a while and figure it out. And when you have a solid answer, let me know, and I'll tell you if you're right or wrong, I promise." Merlin decided to play a little game.

He wanted Remus to figure it out on his own. It would leave the man something to do while he's bored in the shop. And Merlin believes it will be fun to hear what he thinks is going on.

Quickly checking his phone, he noticed that he had to quickly get towards the trial; otherwise, he probably wouldn't be let in. Merlin patted Remus on the shoulder and pulled him along; at least this time in the letter, he was told exactly where to go. All he had to do is find an elevator. He googled what that was the other day. He knew all about them. Google was the best friend of someone who was displaced in time because it had all the answers one could ever need. Everything he missed in 500 years was able to be searched up through Google. It was amazing.

All throughout the elevator ride and walk up to the room, Remus was trying to tell Merlin that him going there with him might not be accepted and that maybe he could just meet him after the trial was over. But Merlin was completely ignoring him and pulling him along anyway. If someone were to stop them and claim that he was a werewolf and he wouldn't be allowed in because of that, Merlin would secretly hex them into oblivion. And if they denied Remus access with a _good reason_ because it was a trial and no one who's not given permission to, can't come inside, then probably Merlin will let Remus wait outside like he wants to.

But he's going to at least _try_ to sneak him in first. He was debating if he should just cast an invisibility charm on him, but it was old magic, and he didn't really want to get found out in a courtroom full of wizards and witches with varying degrees of strength. As much as Merlin can't die, he did not want to experience spells that could fatally kill him because they would hurt a lot.

Pulling Remus along all the way until the courtroom doors, which were open letting people still file in. He hadn't seen Harry yet at all. Not on his walk here, not even on the elevator or sitting in the courtroom as he's looking in from the outside.

"Where do you think Harry is?" Merlin asked Remus looking to see if the older-looking man spotted him.

Remus covertly sniffed the air.

He then shook his head, "He's not here yet." Remus answered.

After spending so much time with Harry in Hogwarts and knowing him when he was just a baby, Remus had Harry's sent down packed, even if he wasn't a werewolf fully, like when he transformed under a full moon, his nose still worked better than most. And if he wanted to pick up Harry's sent, it would be easy, but clearly, he wasn't here yet. Merlin frowned. He walked up to some random person, someone who is writing in a notebook.

"Hi, miss, can I borrow a piece of paper?" He asked the women clad in a full shiny green robe, who smiled brightly after looking him up and down.

After taking to the paper, Merlin walked back to Remus. Remus watched as Merlin took out a pen he had on him and watched as he scribbled a neat note. Remus watched as Merlin folded the note seven times before covering it with both hands and closing his eyes. Merlin mumbled the language of the old religion, reciting a spell, and when he opened his hand, the paper was gone. The only two people watching were the woman who handed him the paper and Remus. Neither of them knew how he did it. They assumed magic, of course, but what type of magic, they knew not.

Remus asked, "Who did you send that to? And what spell did you use?"

Merlin smirked, "I sent a letter to Harry. Just to tell him that the trial was starting and that he should hurry up. I feel like there's some sort of foul play at work. And the spell is one of my own creations; maybe one day I'll show you how to do it."

He couldn't tell Remus that it wasn't new magic. First, he had to figure out a way to cast it with new magic, and then he could teach it to Remus. But until then, he would say nothing and continue to play games because he really couldn't tell him an answer.

Merlin walked in with the insistence that Remus followed him in. Nobody stopped them. Remus couldn't sit next to Merlin. But he did sit off to the side and in the back.

Minutes ticked by as the courtroom began to fill. Yet no sign of Harry Potter.

Those obviously in favor of Harry Potter we're also not in the room. It seems like the whole party of the people who were trying to defend Harry didn't get invited to this occasion. Right after the Ministry of Magic's very own minister himself walked into the courtroom along with the judge presiding over the case and the minister's secretary. In scrambled, just before the doors closed, Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. Two leading figureheads of the wizarding world, standing side-by-side, looking a little breathless.

Dumbledore was glaring at the minister of magic. While Harry was searching the crowd looking for the one who sent him a note. He caught Merlin's eyes relatively quickly. Merlin just gave a goofy grin and waved. Harry smiled. And seemed just a little bit braver and less nervous than before. He looked a little shocked when he noticed Remus as he scanned the rest of the room. But Remus just shook his head, trying to convey that they would talk later.

The minister of magic looked disgruntled that his seemingly ingenious plan did not work. He had planned to invite Harry and Dumbledore late to the party, so to speak. He wanted them to miss the trail, which would then make Harry look even guiltier. But obviously, the plan didn't work. Even if Merlin had not sent that note. Dumbledore had already figured it out. But he was just a few minutes behind Merlin in the discovery of the tomfoolery that was afoot. But soon the judge presiding over, Madame Bones, called order and for everyone to quiet down. She is the head of magical law enforcement, and she was the one presiding over the case. Since the regular judge is Dumbledore, he could not obviously preside since he was defending Harry Potter.

Fudge started it off, continuously attacking Harry Potter as he laid on the chargers. Merlin was trying to sit there peacefully. He really was. Truly, he tried. But after a truly detestable woman who was clad in pink decided to open her toad mouth, he decided to also speak. He basically butted into the conversation with no manners whatsoever, but there was a limit to how much Merlin could handle, and he was at his limit.

"If I could say something." He garnered the attention of all those in Wizengamot.

Stopping the Minister of Magic mid-sentence. Everyone looked at him sort of shocked, while Remus was in the back rubbing his face, dreading what was about to come out of Merlin's mouth. Remus was all for tearing down and putting the minister in his place, but there is a time and a place for this. And if he did not believe that it was the time nor the place. But once the Merlin got going, nothing could stop him.

"And who exactly are you?" The woman in pink screeched across the courtroom sitting beside the minister.

"Right I guess I should introduce myself, as this is my first time here. My name is Myridian Emrys, from the most ancient and noble house of Emrys. I had something I wanted to add if you don't mind, of course." Merlin said, playing, for now, he could be polite if he needed to.

It was so much fun when you acted all innocent and gentle in the beginning and then came out later with your true self. In the corner of the room opposite of Remus, the lady in the shiny green suit was furiously writing on a piece of paper while her camera was flashing. She got told off for the camera flashing, but the scribbling of the pen on paper never stopped.

Most of the pure-blooded wizards and witches looked shocked at such a young man standing there. Especially considering how much wealth he was now the heir to. They all expected some reasonably older man, maybe in his late 30s to early 40s. But this man was just a child; he looked barely in his late 20s. And he had such an innocent and goofy look that it just didn't seem like he fit the role.

The Minister of Magic seemed to stutter for a second before putting on a fake smile and nodding his head, telling Merlin to say whatever he wanted. He imagined all the money he could take from such a child. The minister of magic thought that since he was so young and innocent-looking, it would be so easy to take his fortune right out from underneath him, literally like taking candy from a baby.

But the Minister of Magic soon learned that Merlin was not as innocent as he looked. The moment Merlin got the permission to speak, he stood adjusting his robes and smirked a little bit.

"Thank you for allowing me to say something, Minister, I had read about this coming trial in the daily prophet, and I must say that I am utterly dissatisfied with what is happening. The fact that you would so harshly try a child, with all these preposterous charges. That you don't even let the poor boy speak to defend himself. Or to let him say his side of what really happened. Plus how you attack him like he is a criminal. I must say I'm truly disappointed in how this system works. The Ministry has lost my favor, at least so far. As a first impression, I'm highly disappointed. I had hoped that this trial would be fair and just. I thought that you wouldn't be harassing the poor boy, but it seems I was wrong. That is all I wanted to say." Merlin said, his little speech, as he increasingly got angrier looking and more serious by the end.

By the end, he had a big frown on his face, and he sat down, leaving everyone looking extremely shocked. Harry looked grateful. While the minister looked utterly embarrassed. Surprisingly enough, a few wizards and witches in Wizengamot looked swayed by his words. Seemingly to agree with what Merlin had said and shown more support than they originally had for Harry Potter.

Whispers had broken out not long after he finished speaking. But all too soon, Madam Bones called to order.

She silenced everyone from speaking and turned towards Merlin herself,

"I am sorry we have made you feel this way. And I take your words to heart. I agree with you. I would also like to hear Mr. Potter's side of the story. And I would also like to see more detailed proof. I will adjourn for 5 minutes, please collect yourself and be ready."

Nobody moved. It was more of a time for Harry to collect himself and for the Minister to produce the evidence that they had. The Minister had tried to complain to Madam Bones, trying to say that this was not how this was supposed to go. But she quickly put him in his place and told him that she was in charge of the courtroom and she would decide how things went.

Remus was pleasantly surprised that things were going exactly how Merlin wanted them to go. He didn't ask for anything to happen, but just his disappointment swayed so many people. It seemed that Merlin's charms did not only work on him but on everyone. Merlin knew how to manipulate people, and obviously, he was very good at it. Because it was so subtle that you wouldn't notice it, but the effects were quickly seen if you knew to look for them.

And all too soon, the five minutes were up. Harry Potter looked much calmer though still nervous since he had to speak in front of so many people. Fudge still looked angry, but there was nothing he could say or do at this point.

Madam Bones gave the floor to Harry Potter, to which he told the actual events of the story. He told them all about the Dementor's that had attacked him and how they tried to attack his cousin, the muggle in question, had already known about magic since he was a family member. He told the courtroom how he cast a Patronus and drove the dementors away.

That part of the story shocked quite a few witches and wizards. Since that particular spell was hard to cast and he was far too young to possibly be able to cast it.

Well, at least that was the Minister of Magic and his truly annoying secretary's argument. They were shouting, "Prove it!" And for a completely different reason, Madam Bones wanted to see Harry Potter cast a Patronus. Harry potter shyly obliged and cast a corporeal Patronus. The misty figure of a deer poured out of the tip of his wand, walking around the courtroom, shocking everyone and, most especially, the Minister of Magic himself.

After the spell was cast, Madam Bones decided that she didn't need to see any more evidence and that clearly, they would have to look into the Dementor attack. Seeing as it would be impossible for the dementors to roam freely around London since they were in the control of the Ministry. And if they were freely roaming, they would have to stop that.

She raised the vote to drop all charges to Harry Potter and conduct a full search of the department dealing with the dementors and Azkaban. She meant to do this anyway since the breakout. And surprisingly, a majority decided to side with Harry Potter, and Harry was free. The trial went in the direction that nobody expected. Especially since it moved along so smoothly.

The courtroom was adjourned, and soon everyone was getting up to leave. Harry Potter had the biggest smile on his face. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, giving a curious look to their savior Myridian Emrys, who was slowly walking towards Remus, looking to be leaving. He seemed to not notice the crowds trying to catch his attention. Unlike the adults who were trying to catch his attention yet still trying to be polite, Harry Potter walked right up to him, engaging in conversation.

"Thank you so much, sir. If you didn't say what you had said, I would've been found guilty, and nobody would've heard my story." Harry said, shaking Merlin's hand.

Merlin just gave a lazy smile.

"Well, I did tell you I didn't agree with the charges against you. And don't worry, I doubt you would've been charged guilty. I just move things along quicker is all." Merlin didn't do well taking credit for things.

"My boy, you did far more than moving things along. You quite eloquently swayed a lot of people with your words. Truly captivating to watch." Albus Dumbledore said, moving into the conversation.

Merlin tried not to giggle at being called a boy; he was many times older than the man in front of him, though Dumbledore did look awfully similar to his fake persona as an old man. Just more modern looking, not 21st century modern but more modern than the Middle Ages.

"I guess. It's a pleasure to meet you, Dumbledore." Merlin held out his hand, genuinely happy to meet the man since he was one of the leading contenders on the light side fighting Voldemort.

"Likewise, Mr. Emrys. And if I may impart some wisdom on you, your name seems familiar, and I just remembered that one of your great ancestors was one of the 3 founders of the Order of Merlin. I remember seeing your surname mentioned in a few books that I read about the Order of Merlin when I was younger." Dumbledore said, remembering reading a book about the founding of the Order of Merlin, and it listed the names of different purebloods at the time that formed the order.

And he distinctly remembered that the name Emrys was in the three main founders.

It seemed to take Merlin a minute to understand what he was talking about. And he had to stop himself from rolling his eyes and sighing. He lets out a sentence that he didn't really mean to say, but he mumbled it just enough that they all heard him, but the moment they registered what he said, they thought they must've missed heard. Except for Remus, who knows he heard right.

" _Oh, you're talking about that stupid_ _ **fan club**_ _._ "

After noticing the weird looks though, he waved his hand in the air and said,

"Just forget it. Never mind that."

But it was clearly not forgotten, and everyone was clearly a little bit confused and suspicious of Merlin. Not of a malicious sense but that he was just hiding something; he had an air of mystery around him that was seemingly unsolvable.

Merlin slightly waved, saying he had some business to take care of and that they should all meet for drinks to celebrate later. Since coincidentally, they all knew each other. Before they could all leave the courtroom, they were suddenly stopped by a woman, the very same woman who lent Merlin paper earlier that day. She had a notepad at the ready and a camera in her hand, already snapping pictures before she even opened her mouth.

"Hi! My name is Rita Skeeter, and I am the reporter for the Daily Prophet; I was wondering if I could have an interview with both of these wonderful stars today!" She said, seemingly excited, and if she could, she would probably be bouncing off the walls.

Though her stare wasn't so innocent, it was predatory in a sense like she was going to get the interviews no matter what. Harry grimaced, dreading this.

But Merlin to the rescue, "Sorry, today has been a trying day, and I'm sure that you have good intentions with this paper, but I don't feel up to doing an interview right now and seeing as Harry has just finished his first trial, I think he also would like to rest peacefully. Maybe another time. If you'll excuse us, miss Skeeter." Merlin said respectfully, as he ushered Harry Potter and everyone else passed her.

But before everyone could pass her, she caught the eye of Remus.

She let out a startled squeak, "Your Remus Lupin, the werewolf teacher, let's do an interview on how you got fired from Hogwarts and your story of becoming a werewolf!" She said, grabbing his arm, stopping him.

Many others around the room had heard her exclamation and turned a distasteful eye on Remus. A few shied away and backed off, looking like he would attack at any moment. Remus looked embarrassed and upset and overall like he wished he could just disappear into thin air. He didn't want to embarrass his friends or bring this judgment onto them. He tried to pull his arm free, but the woman was insistent. And he didn't want to put any strength in it because he didn't want anything to happen.

But in the corner of his eye, he noticed something. As all the attention was focused on Rita and him, nobody was looking at Merlin anymore. But he noticed it because he was worried that she had just set Merlin off.

She had. Oh, she truly had. Merlin, at the moment, only noticed by Remus, had taken out his wand and was wordlessly casting a spell pointed directly at Rita Skeeter. Nothing happened for a moment until a small orange flame appeared on her notebook. Nobody noticed at first until the whole notebook was engulfed in flames.

Rita Skeeter let go of Remus' arm right away, backing away from the fire. Everyone else looked shocked and was looking for the culprit. But Merlin had already put his wand away. And with the momentary distraction, he ushered everyone, including Remus, out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So shitty birthdays aside, how was the chapter?
> 
> Leave a comment letting me know what you think, so far.
> 
> *Side note I fell asleep while editing, so, sorry about that.*


	9. Celebratory Celebrations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin, Remus, Harry, and Dumbledore go to the Weasly house to celebrate the success of the trial. 
> 
> Then Remus finally quits his god awful job and helps Merlin's business get out there, through the employment of bright minds. 
> 
> Techno Mage the Magical Technology shop is open for business!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my friends! 
> 
> I got really busy with midterms and just school in general, so that's my excuse lol.   
> Honestly, I got pretty burnt out writing all my fanfictions too fast. I know y'all enjoy it but I burn out fast when I do that and I end up taking longer breaks. It's my fault tho, I gotta pace myself better or something. 
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is a lot, lots of stuff happens and it's a little fast if I'm honest, but I went through and added more dialogue and stuff, but I still feel like it's fast, maybe it's the time skip and stuff. 
> 
> Also, I would like to mention that even tho I'm only following what's happening to Merlin. Harry Potter and friends are living out their shitty Umbridge year. Merlin will get involved in all that slightly towards the end of the year. This fanfic is Merlin-centric so stuff happens in the background. 
> 
> Anyway, any questions just lemme know. But otherwise enjoy y'all!!!
> 
> (Also all y'all Americans who are old enough, Go Vote!)

After their swift escape from the Ministry of Magic and all those prying eyes, Merlin, Remus, Harry, and Dumbledore found themselves in Diagon Alley. Merlin had recommended that they apparate there and to celebrate. Once there, they were going to go out for drinks. But, Dumbledore said it would be better to inform everyone of the successful trial. He invited Merlin and Remus to join them at the Weasley house. Merlin agreed, seeing as he was somewhat eager to talk to Arthur Weasley about electronics. Remus was going to be dragged along either way, if not by Merlin then by Harry. 

Once at the Weasley residence, Harry was mobbed by the extensive Weasley clan in congratulations for a surprisingly successful and swift trial. Harry was toppled to the floor by Ron and the twins. Merlin and Remus stood off to the side while everything was going on. Not that they weren’t doing anything, Merlin pulled out the cell phone and was showing it to Remus. Remus was amazed as always. But that quickly drew the attention of Mr. Weasley, which attracted the attention of everyone who overlooked Merlin and Remus the first time. 

“Oh, hello! I’m sorry I didn’t notice you were there. Who are you?” Mrs. Weasley says to Merlin. 

“Oh, sorry, right, let me introduce myself, Myridian Emrys, at your service,” Merlin says with a deep, respectful bow. 

“Oh, the boy from the paper?” Mrs. Weasley asks. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Merlin said respectfully. 

“Oh, none of that, please call me Molly. I heard you know stuff about muggle … stuff, sorry I don’t know much of that stuff; it’s more my husband’s area.” Molly said while fixing her clothes and brushing dust off of her son’s, Ron, nose. 

“No worries, Molly, I do know about Muggle electronics. Like this cell phone.” Merlin says as he hands it to her. 

“You can use it to call anyone else who owns one from anywhere in the world.” Mrs. Weasley held it upside down but acted like she was impressed. 

Mr. Weasley, on the other hand, took it from her hands and started to inspect it. 

“How does it work?” He asked Merlin. 

Smiling, Merlin pulled out another phone. He dialed the phone number in Mr. Weasley’s hand, and before he pressed the call button, he gave it to Remus. 

“I showed you how to answer the phone. Once it starts ringing, answer it. I’m gonna be back in a moment.” Merlin apparates to his house and calls.

“Hello?” He asks. 

He hears a bunch of mumbling and murmuring, and finally, Remus’ voice answers. 

“Merlin? Where are you?” 

And he can hear Mr. Weasley in the background exclaiming, 

“He’s put himself inside the phone! How marvelous!” 

Merlin chuckles and apparates back. 

“No, I went to my house; this lets you talk to anyone anywhere in the world. I’m not completely done with them. The one that Remus is holding is my first magic proof phone. It’s an older model, but the newer ones take so much time. I’m not too caught up with modern stuff yet.” Merlin says, discrediting himself slightly. 

“But that’s amazing. You’re the first to ever combine magic and muggle technology!”  Harry says after dislodging himself from the twin’s grasp.

“Well, it’s not that impressive but thank you, I am quite proud,” Merlin says, taking back the phone from Remus and handing it off to Mr. Weasley. 

“Well, from my standards, this is quite the feat, young man; I don’t recognize you; which school did you go to?” Dumbledore asked Merlin. 

Dumbledore knew Merlin was young, but he was almost certain he never saw him in Hogwarts. 

“Oh, no, I’m self-taught. I learned everything myself from books and whatnot.” Merlin said. 

Merlin didn’t see anything wrong with this because 500 years ago, many people were self-taught. Only the rich would go to school—both in the Muggle world and in the Wizarding world. There were a few exceptions like Hogwarts, but mainly people taught themselves or found a teacher. However, nowadays, there are not many children that are self-taught. Not to say that purebloods didn’t teach their children ahead of time, but rarely anyone ever didn’t go to school at all to learn magic. It was almost unheard of. So there were quite a few different reactions from the audience around Merlin. 

“You didn’t go to school?” Was Remus’ surprised question considering Merlin was one of the smartest people he knew, at least with creating spells, at least what he knew that Merlin could create. 

From Ron, there was a very silent,  “Merlin, you’re so lucky.” 

Which Merlin heard and sort of twitched at the swearing. 

Mrs. Weasley was the loudest of the bunch, “What were your parents thinking not sending you to school? Every wizard and witch needs to go to school; how hard it must’ve been for you without anyone guiding you? What a poor child.” 

Merlin didn’t really have an answer to that one. Considering he wished there was a school for wizards when he was younger and an actual child. 

Like Ron Dumbledore also was pretty quiet when he also questioned Merlin, he whispered, “Self-taught? How amazing.” 

But in Dumbledore’s mind, he knew that Merlin was pureblood, so he guessed that some pure-blood families could choose not to bring their children to school. Even though he was amazed that Merlin was self-taught, he could see it as a possibility that his family taught him everything he needed. But that also led him to question, what pureblood family knows about Muggle technology? 

In the corner of the room, slowly inching closer and closer towards Merlin, was the twins, both with enormous grins on their faces. They were trying to take the other phone out of Merlin’s pocket without him noticing it. But Merlin knew they were there. Through his many years of life, Merlin became very observant of his surroundings. Having bandits run up on you 24/7 was kind of an annoying experience that leaves you scarred with new awareness skills. So the twins sneaking up behind him was not a surprise; he noticed them five minutes ago as they were slowly walking, while the commotion towards him was happening. 

He wasn’t the only one who caught them. Remus also noticed them but didn’t say anything because he wasn’t sure what they were doing. Merlin let the twins take the phone, but it was sort of useless because it wasn’t magic proof yet, it was just a regular cell phone, and the moment they tried to do anything to it, it blew up in their face. It wasn’t a big explosion or anything, but it was a loud enough sound that it stopped all of the voices, and everyone turned around to see the twins with their faces covered in black soot. 

Merlin couldn’t help it, and he burst out laughing; Remus was chuckling at the surprise on their faces. While Mrs. Weasley tried to apologize on her son’s behalf for breaking what she thought was one of the new cell phones. 

“Oh, don’t worry, that was just a normal phone. I didn’t get the chance to change it yet. Oh, and don’t worry, there is nothing that they could do that would break the new phone. It’s basically indestructible.” Merlin said, pulling out his wand and wordlessly cleaning the twins up while vanishing the now destroyed phone. 

The children who thought nothing of the wordless casting said nothing, yet the adults in the room were more impressed by Merlin by the second. To clarify, casting spells without using words is not something unique and not an impossible feat, but it is quite rare for someone so young. 

And no matter how old Merlin actually is, he looks like he’s 26 years old. So he looks a few years out of schooling, and it’s impressive to the “ _ adults _ ” around him. 

But in a polite British way, nobody said anything. They kept their awe’s and ahh’s to themselves because they already noticed that Merlin did not like compliments. Or at least they presumed he didn’t like compliments. 

Moving on, then, after everyone settled down, they went over the case. Harry Potter re-counted everything that happened from getting a little letter from Merlin that told him that he would be late, to how Merlin stood up for him in the courtroom, and to how quickly the trial went by after that. 

They poked fun at the ministry of magic for a little while, and they poked fun at the minister, and they talked about the horrible pink-clad woman who was apparently the minister’s secretary. Though as they got off into making fun of the important figures in the ministry, some people broke off from the children talking about it. Merlin and Mr. Weasley went off into his garage to talk about Muggles technology. 

Merlin was quite fascinated by all of the different inventions that he had in his garage. And for a long time during the night, Mr. Weasley told him about his flying car, which she unfortunately lost. But Merlin had a good time hearing about the story and getting to know precisely how troublesome the Wizarding world’s hero was. 

Remus was going to join them, but he got pulled into a conversation with Dumbledore, and it was about  _ the order,  _ so they walked away so the kids couldn’t hear. And the day went by reasonably dull after that, there was a round of drinks for everyone. Mrs. Weasley made a delicious dinner, according to Merlin, which he told her that it was ‘excellent food’ multiple times.

It was quite a while since Merlin had a home-cooked meal. Actually, it was 500 years since he had a home-cooked meal. It was really nice, and the crowd was genuinely happy to be there and it kind of reminded him of a feast from back when he was younger. Made him genuinely happy to spend time with other people. Merlin was sociable, generally.

So being isolated for 500 years was hard. But he really enjoyed being with everyone there even though it was to celebrate something that he really didn’t do much for. But he had a fun evening, and when he went home with seven Tupperware containers full of leftover food, he was quite content for the first time in a very long time.

5 days later…

Merlin was currently in Diagon alley in his shop. It was definitely not open for business yet, but he was setting things up. Unfortunately, he would not be able to catch the crowd of new students going to Hogwarts this year, but hopefully, by Christmas, they could all get this present for Christmas. And since Christmas was his goal, he had a lot of time now to get his business going. He had a lot of money so getting the parts for computers and everything from the Muggle world was not a trouble at all because apparently, gallons transferred into pounds was a huge markup.

So he had tons of Muggle money. There was no problem with getting the parts he needed to put the spells on to make the computers and other technology indestructible. The problem he was running into now was he needed help. He crafted the spells so that wizards and witches of this day and age could use them. But he required wizards and witches who wanted to work for him. 

There wasn’t so much a problem of finding wizards and witches that would work, but he needed people capable of casting new magic. And he didn’t really know how to get the word out there either because there’s no platform to spread information. Which is why computers and the internet in itself will be such a great tool.

While looking on the computer, he was so jealous that there were websites that you could post what you are looking for, and people actually responded to you. Unfortunately, though, this is a wizarding world, and none of that exists yet. So his first step of business was even though he had enough products at the moment, he needed workers. And so began Merlin’s hunt for people to work with him.

The first person he hired was no surprise to anyone; he walked into the old storage facility with a big box and put all his remaining stuff into the box. Remus was looking at him with a weird look, but he didn’t really understand what Merlin was doing. He felt a little hurt by how quickly Merlin was taking all his things. He kind of took it as Merlin wanted to leave and not talk to him anymore. But how wrong could he have been? The answer is very wrong. 

Merlin put down the box that was magically expanding on the inside and slammed it pretty hard on the desk. 

He looked directly at Remus and then told Remus, “You should really quit this job. It seems like you don’t really like it, and well, you’re getting a job offer for the new exciting job in Diagon alley. I really think you should take the offer.” 

Remus was confused because he did not get an offer for any new job. So he asks, “What job?” 

“Well, of course, working in my new muggle technology shop and for me!” Merlin says excitedly. 

Now, although Remus isn’t really super excited about technology, he’s really good at spells. Anything is better than a job currently has, plus he gets to work with Merlin, who is now a good friend of his. 

Also, no matter what, Merlin wants to work with him, so eventually, it would happen even if he said no for some reason. And Remus really can’t say no to Merlin, and so he ended up quitting his job a week later. So now they could both figure out who to hire next.

It took a whole month before they found anybody. Basically, Merlin had no contacts. And nobody wanted to associate with Remus after the whole “werewolf” thing. They found a girl who was two years out of schooling. She went by the nickname of Sam. She had short straight black hair and was coincidentally a half-blood who was interested in Muggle technology. 

The funny way they found her was that she was actually not living in Britain. She was living in Russia, but by going on the internet, they found her selling art of mythical creatures that were “fake” and just from her “imagination,” but from first glance, you could tell they were monsters and creatures that existed in the magical world. 

After connecting online and talking for a while, they convinced her to come over for a job. She wasn’t exactly what they were looking for at the moment, but the design is important as well. Because after talking to her, Merlin realized that they needed to figure out a website just for witches and wizards. And they had no idea what to do for the design or for any aspect of it yet. 

Just a Wizarding version of what Google is, and he was trying to think of a name, but he had no idea what to call it. So, for now, they were thrilled to have someone who was young and actually grew up with technology, unlike Merlin, who basically crammed everything that he could fit into his brain in five months. 

As a three-man team, they eventually found two more people to join. And a part-timer… ** *cough* Mr. Weasley *cough cough* ** and things were starting to happen. The other two people that Merlin employed were a young man who, like Sam, was a half-blood interested in muggle tech and muggle culture in general.

Yet unlike her, he graduated from school with top marks in his spell work and his understanding of spells. His name is Gideon. Unlike the last two, the last employee was an older gentleman named Julius Goshawk, the great great grandson of Miranda Goshawk, who invented the Bat-Bogey Hex.

Like many in his family, he went down the path of creating spells, yet he has yet to create one himself as he’s a bit scared of if it all went wrong. So with this team, Merlin was ready to open two months early. Now all that was left was to finish their own search engine. 

By mid-November, most of the work was done. They had created their own search engine. Merlin ahead actually went to a Muggle college. He snuck himself into a few classes to try to understand how to make a website. He spent a few weeks doing that and working with the others. And lo and behold, on the 18th of November search engine was born.

Everyone was basically falling asleep sitting in the shop, a little bit overworked but completely happy. It was done, and it was finally created. Of course, it would take some time before it would get popular and before other Wizarding websites were created, but at the moment, they had done what no other wizard or witch had done. 

There were celebratory rounds of fire whiskey and for the lightweights, celebratory rounds of butterbeer.

After quite a bit of drinking on everyone’s part, they were trying to figure out a name for the search engine. They were deciding to name it after famous wizards and witches. 

“What aboooout Mirandaaaa Goooshawk, or maybe just Goshawkkkk?” Julius tried again after the multiple times he already tried in his drunken stupor; he wanted to have it named after his great great grandmother. 

“Noooo!” Was the chorus of yells by everybody else in the room who were tired of hearing this. 

Every single time Julius brought it up, it was denied. 

And the name hadn’t been figured out for a while after that. It wasn’t until Sam stubbed her toe while trying to grab her computer, a new indestructible computer, that she let out a normal Wizarding swearword. 

“Merlin! That hurt!” Sam quietly yelled. 

Suddenly, like time stopped, everyone just looked at each other, and Gideon said it first, 

“What about Merlin?”

“Oh, that’s brilliant!” Remus said, joining in looking at Merlin; he expected a goofy smile. 

The same goofy smile was on everyone else’s face. But he didn’t find the goofy smile; instead, it was a weird face of annoyance and embarrassment. Remus has never seen that face on Merlin before. 

“No. No, no, no, no, that’s not happening.” Is what Merlin was slowly saying while looking into his cup.

As immortal as Merlin was, he was not immune to the effects of drinking too much alcohol. He knows how to limit himself, but the problem was that after a few drinks, he forgets what his limit is and then continues to drink. So Merlin was slightly drunk. But was still in his right mind enough to know that this is not what he wanted. 

However, he could not argue against four other drunk people, and he lost the battle of trying to change the name. And that was how that happened. The new search engine is called Merlin; like Google, it can do everything Google can do, but it’s called Merlin, and it’s strictly for wizards and witches. 

Sadly( _ well sadly to Merlin _ ), he lost in the endeavor to change it. He was already upset that it was a swearword, now it was the face of his new computer. 

All too soon, December was coming in, and the shop was going to be open. They had quite the stockpile of magic proof technology ranging from cell phones to computers to printers to newer televisions and some other household appliances. And even though some of the employees wanted to raise the price so that they could make a lot of money, Merlin put his foot down because he wanted everyone to be able to have it. 

Not that everyone in the company wanted just profit, but Merlin made the price cheaper than it should be. And he was planning to make deals because he wanted everyone to have one, and he had money to spare. It was generally a nice thing for him to do, and he had the money, and he had enough money. 

However, even after opening his shop and hiring all these people, he still had enough money, so what’s the problem with giving a little. At least that’s what he thought.

The last thing left to do was to come up with a name for the shop. Because the whole inside of the shop was decked out exactly how Merlin wanted it, he based it off of a Muggle technology store, with glass everywhere, and all the tech is sitting out and displayed. Except the colors are a bit wacky with like purple, and of course, he has some red and gold around. 

With the help of Sam, Merlin designed a few house colors for screensavers and cases to go along with the purchase of a laptop. Depending on what house they’re in, they could get a case with the crest either Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw. Of course, he produced other cases for the other schools just if someone was visiting Britain and wanted to buy something for their child who was not from Britain and didn’t go to Hogwarts. 

He tried to cover all corners for opening day. He wanted something special to surprise the people who were buying this product so that they would come back with happy faces. 

And for the next release, he had created some digital cameras that worked just like the regular Wizarding cameras where they took pictures that were moving except you could put them on the internet. 

They will be moving on the internet sort of like a gif, but that’s not invented yet, so Merlin was the creator of that too. 

Before Christmas started, most of December was used to fill up  _ Merlin, _ the new search engine with as much Wizarding information that they could copy you on it. So now, if you asked  _ Merlin,  _ a question you would get an answer. 

Just like Google. Except there were so many Wizarding books that were not yet on there that they were having trouble trying to cram it all in like a week’s time. Merlin wanted by the summer to have almost every textbook on there, they tried as best as they could, but they were no way going to get it by the time Christmas happened. 

But they got a lot of books on there and a lot of school books because they know the children are probably the people who want to use this the most. 

Two days before Christmas, a new shop was opened in Diagon alley; the first-ever Magical technology shop ever, called: Techno Mage, was created. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo How was it? Good? Bad? Meh? lol
> 
> I think this was good to get the story moving a little bit, but let me know what y'all think. 
> 
> :)
> 
> *Editing this story is a nightmare, it takes longer to edit than to freaking write it??*


	10. A Gossiping Bunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, it is me! I honestly should be doing my course work but instead, I opened up my notes for this story so here it is.
> 
> I delved a little bit into Sam, Julius, and Gideon's personality. So I hope you like their quirkiness. 
> 
> Well anyway, enjoy my friends.

Merlin was out of the shop for a few days; he said he had something to do in the ministry, and he left all his workers behind. He tried to get Remus to come along with him again, but he felt terrible because Remus was really tired, and he decided for the first time to leave him behind. Above his shop, since it was two floors, he had a workroom to work on electronics and a break room because Merlin and everyone else in that store did not know how to take breaks and ended up falling asleep there, so there were a few beds just laying around and some couches and stuff and a small little kitchen.

Remus was passed out on one of the couches, and everyone else was just chilling on the sofa and in the kitchen because Merlin was out and they had nothing to do. It was now, one day before Christmas, they just finished everything, and they were kind of hungover, and they kinda did not wanna be disturbed, but they were up for some gossiping. 

  
They didn’t really know each other before this job, so they were fast friends even though it’s been four months. It definitely didn’t feel like four months to them; it felt like a month and a lot less sleep. But Gideon and Julius were sitting in the kitchen drinking tea while Sam was lying down facedown on the couch, regretting waking up this morning.

Did I say they were kind of hungover? They were really hungover. Remus was not one to drink a lot, so he wasn’t really hungover. He was just really tired because he tried to keep all the drunk people from hurting themselves last night in their stupidity. 

  
Anyway, while drinking tea and trying to block the sun out of their faces, they started talking about the boss. I mean, who wouldn’t. Merlin was a bit weird and eccentric and really impressive. The people in the group who were from Britain were telling Sam about how he was a pureblood and from a wealthy old family or something, and they didn’t understand why he was into Muggle technology. Still, they were happy because they have jobs, and this is the coolest thing they’ve ever seen in a long time. But apparently, in Russia, Sam said that the pureblood wasn’t as strict as in Britain.

They still have their disdain for Muggles like everywhere else in the world, but they were pretty open to mingling with what Muggles did, except they couldn’t because they didn’t have any way to use muggle technology. She thought this was gonna be a game-changer around the world. 

  
When they were talking, Remus woke up, and they dragged him into the conversation because out of all of them, he knew Merlin the best, and they wanted more information on their boss. Other than his name and that he was a pure-blood, they really didn’t know anything about him. He had a British accent, so they assumed he was from Britain, but it was a little different, so they didn’t know exactly where from. That was it; they had no other information. 

  
“So I’ve been curious, did the boss go to Hogwarts, or is he from somewhere else? Honestly, his accent is a little hard to pinpoint; it kind of sounds British but maybe a little Scottish; honestly, I can’t tell.” Sam says, finally sitting up.

“Uh, I remember him saying that he didn’t go to Hogwarts. He said he was self-taught. And I actually don’t know where he’s from; I met him in my old job about half a year ago.” Remus said, trying to think back to see if he recalled if Merlin told him anything else.

“Wow, self-taught! That’s unbelievable, really. I didn’t think you could teach yourself magic without any schooling.” Gideon says, then taking a long sip of his tea just in awe.

“How old is he?” Julius asks.

“He can’t be that much older than Sam or Gideon; it is quite amazing,” Julius says.

“Well, actually, I’m not too sure on his age either, he acts like an old man from time to time, but I think he’s just mature for his age. I don’t know much about Myridian, but he’s a good friend.” Remus says. 

  
The conversation continues for a little longer before Merlin walks back in, halting the discussion. Merlin walked in with ten bags hanging off his arms. Remus recognized a few of them as muggle electronic brands, some wizarding brands, and some he wasn’t sure. Merlin set everything down and walked into the invention room, seeming to look for something.

But he came back out five minutes later looking around,

“Did anyone see my wand?” Merlin asks.

It wasn’t that he needed it, but he really could not remember where he put the damn thing; it was such a hassle for Merlin because he kept forgetting that he needed it. He usually would just Accio it over, but that’s some “advanced” wandless magic, so he restrained himself in front of company, which led to him asking for help.

Sam looked around half-heartedly; she was still a bit hungover. Remus got up and actually looked around where they were drinking yesterday night. Julius tried to Accio it, but it didn’t come. Luckily Gideon got it to work and handed it to Merlin.

“Here, boss. How’d you ever misplace it?” He asked.

Merlin took it back, “I forget about it sometimes. I didn’t live in the wizarding world for a long time. I forget sometimes.” 

  
Sam went on, continuing the conversation from before; she was unapologetic like that.

“Where are you from, boss? Your accent isn’t fully British.” She asked; she was curious and wanted to know more.

Merlin was looking at his wand a bit, but he responded, not even looking up.

“Oh no, I wasn’t born here. I was born in west wales, in a tiny village.” Merlin said.

Taking care not to mention the name because he knew Ealdor was long forgotten by now; even seven hundred years ago, it was gone, let alone five hundred.

“Oh, your welsh, the accent makes sense,” Sam said.

She kept glancing at Gideon to join her in her questioning.

Letting out a deep but quiet sigh Gideon asked a question of his own, “I heard you were self-taught; why didn’t you go to school. Did your parents not want you to?”

Merlin looked up; he realized they were curious about him; he would be as well if he didn’t know about him. But he was prepared for this. Merlin realized that he would amass some close friends and workers, so he set a list of general things to talk about. 

  
“Yes, I didn’t go to school. I know you might all believe I’m a pureblood, but I’m not. My mother was a muggle, and she raised me. I learned magic from an uncle of mine, who I lived with for a while. I never went to school because my mother wanted my uncle to teach me, and I learned a lot there.

Of course, as I got older, I studied more on my own. Then I learned of having a vault at Gringotts, and so I’ve been studying up since coming here, but I have all the basics down at least.” Merlin shared.

Of course, that was a lie, and he hated lying, but he couldn’t exactly say he broke out of Azkaban after a five-hundred-year slumber. But everyone was captivated by the impoverished version of Merlin’s life. It was somewhat true, as the best lies are based on the truth.

“Your a half-blood? I would recommend not letting some of the purebloods know; they’ll think less of you, unfortunately.” Julius tells Merlin knowing how purebloods are from growing up in a family of them.

“Good to know, I just received a letter to go to a party. Uh, let’s see… some family called the Malfoy’s. I guess it would be proper etiquette to go.” Merlin said distastefully.

Merlin was sure the Malfoys were friendly but social gatherings full of elite members of society were tiresome; he’d have to have a fake smile plastered to his face all night.

“Malfoy’s?” Remus said with an unpleasant frown on his face.

“You know them?” Merlin asked.

Merlin thought Remus had no friends because he only ever hung out with Merlin. Well, except for those Saturdays that he was busy doing something “important” that he couldn’t talk about. But Merlin hardly thought he was spending time with friends then; it seemed more like work of some kind.

“Yes, I went to school with Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, and I briefly taught their son, Draco, in Hogwarts,” Remus said.

While Sam interrupted, “You taught at Hogwarts? What are you doing here? No offense, boss.” Sam said as an afterthought.

She thought Hogwarts was cool and always wanted to see what it looked like. Remus didn’t say anything though, he knew Myridian was accepting, but he was still unsure about telling others of his wolfish nature.

But he had to say something, “I was fired.”

Remus looked ashamed.

Merlin was glaring and spoke, “Remus was wrongly fired; if I could meet the person who petitioned to fire you, I’d just….just….well, I’d rather not say, for now, if I happen to get in trouble, I’d hate to take you all down with me.”

Merlin wouldn’t murder them, but they’d experience some well deserved Karma.

“Well, you’re about to meet them,” Remus said, pointing to the letter in Merlin’s hand.

Merlin looked at the letter, and suddenly, it burst into flame.

“I think I’d rather not,” Merlin said heatedly.

Merlin didn’t want to be impolite, but he was loyal to his friends first and foremost. Remus looked touched but didn’t say anything. Everyone was impressed with Merlin’s loyalty and his odd use of wandless/spell-less magic. 

  
“Anyway, we were busy with the shop it doesn’t matter; I don’t really fit in anyway. So I forgot to show you all; I was thinking about trying to make this magic proof next.” Merlin says, going back to the bags he brought in.

He dug around in a small bag pulling out a speaker.

“I just learned about this; apparently, it amplifies sound! Isn’t it cool?” Merlin said, showing it to everyone.

Of course, Merlin realized you could do that with magic, but Muggle tech just seemed to have thought of everything in the absence of magic.

Julius had a bit of a bone to pick, however.

“But Myridian, we already have so many products we are going to put out. Shouldn’t we see if we’re successful? Even if you’re selling them cheaply, the magic community will be slow to join in.” Julius was saying this half truthfully and half because he wanted to go home for Christmas.

But Merlin seemed to have a solution at hand.

“Yes, well, I thought of that. I only know two children, but if I give it to them, and maybe Mr. Weasly’s family, he has a lot of children, they could be ambassadors for the brand. Harry Potter’s famous right, I can ask him if he wants to show it off at school for me. Kids are the best to tempt with technology, and as you said, the prices aren’t bad, so the parents would be swayed pretty easily.” Merlin said.

Was he using his friends? Sure, but he was giving them free products, so he thought it was an easy trade. He already had some business from the pureblood families who were curious about him; he had two investors. It’s what he was taking care of this morning. Remus wasn’t so happy he was using Harry, but he knew Merlin wouldn’t push it. 

  
Merlin finally noticed the tired faces and looked around at the slept in beds and the empty teapot in the kitchen.

“Well, that’s all I had to say today. Feel free to go home. I’ll open the shop tomorrow, whoever can make it can come tomorrow. I realized it’s Christmas, so we won’t stay open for long, just for some advertising, then we’ll close up until the grand opening." Merlin finished giving everyone permission to go home.

They had been opening it to a few investors and spreading words with some newspapers, but on Christmas, it would be open for a few hours; Merlin was doing a promotional sale for whoever stopped by on Christmas; they got some free stuff, so they would spread the word even more. Then they would officially open after new years. Merlin would’ve opened sooner, but Sam wanted to visit her family, and Julius was also going home to visit family. Gideon offered to stay and help, but Merlin said he could handle half a day. 

  
Merlin had prepared ahead of time a little gift bag for all the employees, it wasn’t much, but it contained a laptop and a cell phone for each of them, they were engraved, by Merlin’s magic(they may be magic proof but Merlin was good at what he did) to say their names on them. He handed the bags over, and everyone was happy.

Sam already had a laptop, but she didn’t say no to this custom one. She ran up and hugged Merlin, then Remus, then Julius, and Gideon before saying she was going to show everyone in her hometown what she helped do. Sam was gone in a whirlwind not five minutes later.

Julius also thanked Merlin but said his wife was nagging him to get home for the past three days and that he should probably leave too. He simply waved and apparated out.

Gideon started cleaning the teacups with his wand and tidied up the living area before also thanking Merlin; he left, telling Merlin to contact him if he needed help.

And that left Remus and Merlin once again.

  
Merlin turned to Remus.

“You can help tomorrow or hang out with family; I’ll be here if you need me. Or you can call me now.” Merlin said, pointing to the phone in Remus’ bag.

Remus looked around the shop, “Are you going home?” He asked.

Merlin had mentioned his mother and uncle, but he never said he was going home to visit.

“Oh well, I’m alone now; my mother passed, and so did my uncle, but I’m okay. I could travel or work on some more stuff.” Merlin said, he was of course, lonely a bit, but his friends and family have been dead and gone for a long time now.

At most, he’d probably go sit by the lake and chat to his dead friends like he does at least once a year, _or used to do_.

“I have some stuff to do, don’t worry, Remus,” Merlin said after seeing the pity in Remus’ face.

“I’m not sad anymore; it’s been a while. Anyway, I’ll see them again someday; a good friend of mine told me that I’d be reunited with all those I’ve lost if I wait long enough.” Merlin said, remembering Kilgharrah’s words.

_This time Merlin’s smile was more somber, and he seemed almost desperate for those words to be true; he’s been waiting a long time for Arthur._

  
Remus didn’t want to argue with Merlin, he didn’t think Merlin would be fine all alone, but he didn’t really know a counter to it either. He was going to spend the holidays alone too, but he was invited to Grimmauld place, and he couldn’t precisely invite Merlin there. But Remus stayed till late, sharing a drink with Merlin before both called it quits for the night. Merlin left going home, while Remus headed to Grimmauld place. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was going to have Merlin reck some havoc at the Malfoys winter party, but in my mind, Merlin is just more loyal as a friend than that. He wouldn't go if he knew they were the people who hurt Remus, even if it was just getting him fired. I also know Umbitch had a hand in it but she wasn't really too well known. Even if she is in Hogwarts causing a mess right now, Merlin has been a bit preoccupied with everything to notice it. 
> 
> Anyway thanks for reading, more updates coming after the 17th, that's the last day for my classes so I'll be going on an updating spree then. Thanks for being patient.


	11. Not So Lonely

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised and I deliver, my updating spree has started. 
> 
> For now please enjoy two back to back chapters. And more will come soon, just not today. It took me 3 hours to write these two so I'm gonna go take a break and relax and update another story in the meantime. 
> 
> I was only gonna post one chapter but I wrote the second one right after so I thought I might as well as an early Christmas gift.
> 
> Please enjoy. 
> 
> **Also FYI my story does not follow canon from where this story starts, I will write a timeline later and post it at the beginning so that I can clear some stuff up but, let me develop the world a bit more.**

Once Remus arrived at Grimmauld place, it was hectic from there on out. Apparently, the whole order minus a few people were invited over, including Harry, the Weasley children, and miss. Granger. Of course, Sirius was there. Unfortunately, it’s not like he could go anywhere else. It has been a while since Remus had seen his friends. Of course, Myridian was his friend, but Sirius was his old friend, and he truly missed him. Especially from all the time lost since he’s in prison. He did escape last year, but it’s been a while.

Even though the house was so hectic and full of people and the occasional screaming painting when they went down the wrong hallway, it was nice and comforting. Though Remus couldn’t help but think about Myridian all alone, and it led him to this idea. For a while now, in Remus’ head, he thought Myridian was a fine young man, though he was mature for his age. He was brilliant and had a good sense of justice. Remus wanted to propose Merlin as a new member in the order of the Phoenix. The only thing stopping him from doing that was his age.

Now technically, Myridian was an adult, but he was young, and Remus didn’t really know much of his past, and it seemed like Myridian had lost a lot of people already, and he didn’t want to burden Myridian like that. But he also wanted to include Myridian in the fight because Remus trusted him quite a bit already.

It’s sort of surprised Remus how quickly Myridian became someone he trusted so much. He trusted Myridian as much as he trusted Sirius. And Remus thought about that a lot because he’s only known Myridian for a few months, maybe half a year so far. He didn’t know what it was about Myridian that made him seem so trusting and seem like such a good person, but it was a charm that he could not fight against, not that he really wanted to. 

Remus had come with gifts from himself and Merlin. Merlin offered the night before he left to take the new computers as gifts to the children and whoever else wanted them. Apparently, Merlin had been planning this all along; before Remus left, Merlin handed Remus a computer bag, expanded on the inside with multiple laptops inside. To bring along with him when he was going to hang out with everyone. So it was Christmas day, and all the children were waiting for the gifts to be handed out. Remus was waiting for the exact moment to say he had something to give, but he was a tad shy.

It took a while, but once all the gifts were given, Remus cleared his throat before the children ran off to play.

“I have a present to give, as well.” He announced as he pulled the computer bag onto his lap.

Hermione knew what the bag was but didn’t connect the dots just yet; her mind was still in the view that wizards and witches can’t use technology, so the connection didn’t cross her mind yet. However, she got it the moment he took the laptop out of the bag if her loud gasp was anything to go by. Everyone else didn’t know what a laptop was, but they seemed excited by Hermione’s excitement.

Harry wasn’t too familiar with technology, but he lived in the muggle world for a long time; he’s seen newspapers and magazines, so he knew what it was as well. Harry was also shocked, he remembered that Mr. Emrys had told him about creating them, but he didn’t think he would see it just yet. It took a moment for Harry and Hermione to tell everyone what they were looking at, but once everyone understood what they were looking at, it was a really cool thing they all wanted to see it. And Remus was a gift that kept giving because he pulled out like 20 laptops out of that small bag. And everyone didn’t expect to own a computer themselves. Even Remus didn’t think Myridian had given him this much, but apparently, he made sure to provide enough that Remus could give out to everyone there, and since Merlin didn’t know how many people were going to be there, he just assumed and put like 30 laptops in the bag. And if Remus had too many, he could just bring them back. 

Of course, they were all wizards, and none of them knew what to do with a laptop, but they were marveling at it either way. Molly took the laptop she was given and put it in the center of the table. She thought it looked very pretty and she could put food on top of it, like a center plate. It took a while for Hermione to gently tell her that is not what she could do with it, and that would probably break it. However, Remus was one to counteract that statement saying basically nothing could break that laptop, but it also wasn’t used for that. Surprisingly the only person who did know how to use it was Arthur Weasley.

The only reason he knew how to use it was because he worked with Merlin on some of the projects that he created. Since he was the only one to know how to use it, he quickly got it to work. Everyone was surprised and was leaning over his shoulder, trying to see what he was actually doing with it. Mr. Weasly would be making little sounds of ‘ahh’ and ‘mmm’ and even the occasional ‘oooo.’ Mr. Weasly had only seen the prototype laptop. But Merlin had given him a thick handbook on how to use it, and that is what he’s been reading for a while now. It took a while for everyone else to understand how to open the laptop and how to log on and personalize it. Still, for the rest of the evening of Christmas day, the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and everyone else was staring at their laptop, fixing it and personalize it with the help of Remus and Mr. Weasley. 

Mr. Weasley liked his laptop so much that he fell asleep with it on the couch. Everyone else put their laptop in a special place and then went to bed that night. Once all the children had fallen asleep, some more people showed up to the house that night, and soon the Order of the Phoenix was in session. The moment everyone arrived, Mr. Weasley was soon woken up, and then the meeting began. 

The meeting was planned to discuss again the mass breakout from Azkaban this year. Everyone was arguing about who escaped, and why did it have to be those that did? The topic that also came up from those in the ministry was about the mystery prisoner who escaped. Apparently, the minister did not know who belongs in that cell and nor did any of the people who were supposed to be overseeing Azkaban. They were all terribly worried because they don’t know who exactly disappeared from their cell. Of course, this information is not privy to the public because that would cause even more mass panic. So at the moment, it’s just another Death Eater has escaped. But they’re not sure if he is a Death Eater or he is someone worse. Even after all this time, it was only speculation. At the moment, they were currently discussing that somehow information was being leaked or rather, the information was not as easily hidden through letters and such. But they had no alternative forms of communication rather than maybe the occasional Patronus, but it wasn’t meant for long letters.

They were discussing for a while when Remus had an idea. Cell phones. They solved the problem, and it was such muggle tech that death eaters wouldn’t use it for a while.

“I may have a solution. As some people know, I don’t work in that storage unit store anymore. I recently started working for Myridain Emrys. And he’s currently working on integrating muggle technology into the Wizarding World. And we have a creation that is recently being released. It’s called a cell phone. It’s a way to send messages instantaneously, and it could also be used in real-time. I have one currently on me. It’s the newest version, so it’s going to be a little bit hard to get used to using it, but it solves almost all the problems we’re having with the information leaks. However, they are happening. this also gives us an advantage over the Death Eaters and the purebloods because they won’t go anywhere near Muggle technology for a while until they realize the use of it at least.” Remus said while taking out his cell phone and showing it around.

Nobody grabbed it out of his hand. They all knew that magic and muggle technology did not work, and they didn’t want to break it. Seeing as nobody believed his words too much, he put the phone on the table and cast a spell on it. Nothing too crazy, just the stunning spell would do for now, hell any magic would do. 

The moment the spell hit the phone, nothing happened, the phone just moved a little bit, and it was just perfectly fine as before no smoke, no flashing screens, just a phone, an impenetrable phone. People were impressed after seeing it; they still didn’t understand the concept of it, however. So Remus offered to show them. 

Remus was a bit excited about showing them the new technology, so he forgot the time and dialed Merlin, the only other person he knows, and has a cell phone with him. It rang for a while, seeing as Merlin was probably asleep. He didn’t pick up the phone. And it shocked everyone in the room.

As a grumbly just woken up from sleep Merlin confusingly asked, “Remus? Why are you calling me so early in the morning?”

The moment Merlin spoke through the phone, there were a lot of hushed whispers and exclamations of excitement at seeing that the product actually did what Remus said it did.

However, it just made Merlin even more confused because all he could hear was on the other side of the phone that was supposed to be Remus calling him, but instead was hushed whispering, and people squealing in excitement.

Merlin checks his phone to make sure it was Remus, actually the one who was calling him, but when he checked and saw that it was, he was a little worried as to why there were so many people on the other end of the phone. His brain was also a little bit sleep-deprived and couldn’t think right.

“Remus, are you okay?” Merlin asked again, sounding more awake.

“Oh, yes, I’m fine. I was showing off the cell phone, sorry.” Remus said into the phone.

Then Merlin remembered that Remus was hanging out with friends, and he probably didn’t realize the time. Which was fine with Merlin; at least she’s promoting the product.

So he asks, “Are there any questions you had?”

At this point, Merlin was awake and was ready to answer any questions. Not that he knew who was on the other end of the phone. But did he really have to know them to answer questions? 

Remus turned to everyone else and asked,

“Does anyone want to ask anything?”

A few people around the room started to think about questions they had because if this was going to be their alternative to sending letters that could be intercepted or Patronus’ that could be overheard, they had to know some specifics.

Dumbledore, who was currently in the meeting, didn’t mind his voice being heard and asked the phone directly,

“Mr. Emrys, good evening, is this a something that is completely private. Because to my knowledge you are going to be selling them everywhere. Could someone not intercept our phone calls if we don’t want them to be intercepted?”

Dumbledore had a good question. But the answer and solution were very easy. If this was a cell phone in the Muggle world, this issue might actually be something you have to worry about. Since technology is moving faster and faster and new inventions are created every day. However, this is not the muggle world.

There is no wizard or witch out there that knows how to hack into a device just yet. And there probably won’t be one for a very long time. Except for the few geniuses here and there, it’s going to take at least five-plus years before they advance enough and computers are widely used enough that hacking will become a thing that is plausible.

So Merlin says just that,

“Hello Dumbledore, nice to see you again, though I can’t really see you… ahhh nevermind. Since my devices are currently new and nobody has access to them nor knows how to work them except myself and my team, there is no possible way it could be intercepted. And no magic could cause them to default in any way. I’ve tested it. Remus has tested it, and it is practically indestructible.”

Merlin says practically indestructible because he’s almost positive he could break it if he tried hard enough. So it was practically indestructible from Merlin’s point of view. That made quite a few witches and wizards in the room excited. Even some of the few purebloods we’re curious about how advanced muggle technology was.

Sirius was the second to ask a question,

“What if some Death Eaters….. uhhh I mean, other people have cell phones? How do we know that they’re not hearing our calls?” Sirius said, stumbling through his mess up.

That earned him a few hard glares from everyone around him for saying Death Eater so easily. 

Merlin had a feeling when Remus called him that he wasn’t with friends and family at the moment. Especially when Dumbledore asked a question. But the whole Death Eater comment really made Merlin realize what this meeting was. Of course, he wasn’t supposed to know it was a meeting and such, but he could only come to that one conclusion. He knew that there was a gathering of witches and wizards who were on the side of the light.

Or so people called it that. And he knew Dumbledore was involved; he just didn’t connect the dots that Remus was also involved. And he also didn’t realize until this moment that this is what they needed the cell phones for. Obviously, if you don’t want your letters and communications interrupted by spies and whatnot, the cell phone would be revolutionary. And Merlin had a very good answer to whoever it was that asked that question since it was a voice he didn’t know.

“You don’t have to worry about that. Every cell phone has its own specific phone number. And no matter who has your phone number, they couldn’t listen to the phone call you currently had even if they had access to your cell phone number. Every single phone call is completely secure. At least for the first five or six years, the phone will be available. I can’t say it will be secure forever because I’m sure there will be smart people out there in the future. But at the moment, there is nobody who could listen in on your phone calls. It is completely secure.” Merlin assured.

He was quite confident in selling his product. Of course, he could also add features to the phone to make it even more secure. But at the moment it wasn’t necessary. That could be something he does down the line in the future. 

After some more deliberation and a few more questions, Remus hung up the phone. It seemed that the order of the Phoenix was about to be buying some new cell phones, and a few cell phone guides. But it appeared muggle technology was more helpful than they thought. And that concluded that meeting. They were going to reconvene another day, but it was late, and the kids will start waking up soon. So they all bid each other adieu and went on their separate ways for the night, well more like early morning now. It was a pretty successful product showing for Merlin and Remus. And so that closed off Christmas night.   


Merlin’s version of Christmas day was different from Remus’. Unable to break the habit of 1000 plus years of life, Merlin still did not call Christmas, Christmas he still called it Yuletide or Yule. Either way, this year, he had no plans.

He woke up Christmas morning and had a lovely breakfast. Tinkered a little bit more on his projects. Then as the day grew dimmer, he grabbed a bottle of fire whiskey and apparated out of his house. It had been 500 years since he stepped foot on these shores.

The lake was far smaller than the last time he would have been here. And that road that was barely there last time was much closer and busier than the last time. There was now a bench that was built so that you could sit on and look off into the distance of the lake.

The island that was in the middle of the lake was still there. But Merlin had long since hidden it from the view of everyday people. He didn’t want it to be destroyed or built upon. As this was a place where his friends were laid to rest, and he didn’t want it to be disturbed. Merlin sat on the newly-made bench, or rather new to him, as the bench creaked when he sat on it. Merlin opened the whiskey bottle and held it up to the sky with his eyes closed, he didn’t say anything, but he was toasting off to another year. Another year waiting for his friends to come back. He never lost hope that they would come back. He couldn’t lose hope because if he did, he wouldn’t be sitting there anymore. But Merlin was optimistic. It has been 500 years since he took his little nap, which is what he now dubs as his prison stay; so much has changed in that time that it must be soon.

Soon Arthur and everyone will come back. It had to be soon, he hoped it would be soon, he wished for it. But that was what Merlin thought as he relaxed onto the bench and drank the whole bottle of fire whiskey. Merlin decided to stay there all night and even eventually fell asleep on the bench. The only thing waking him was a phone call in the middle of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, great news, my little niece was born on December 10th; she's just so freaking adorable. I love her name; it's Layla Rey. Isn't that just adorable? uwu Lol. I can't wait to meet her. 
> 
> It also snowed so much yesterday that I'm snowed in a bit. This sucks because I start my new job tomorrow, and I don't want to shovel it all and trudge through the snow to go to work, but money is money, and I got Christmas gifts to buy. 
> 
> Though I normally go all out on cards cause I got those wax seals and stuff, and I am mainly going to shove polaroid pics of my niece when I see her in the cards and then send them off to everyone. That was the idea. But I still need to buy my brother and his wife a gift. So work, I must.
> 
> Anyway, head on over to the next chapter now 
> 
> ***Uh next day edit, I fixed some things I messed up. Also if you see throughout this writing any word that starts with an M and it supposed to be your name in the context of the sentence but it’s not a name you’ve ever heard of before it’s supposed to be Merlin. It’s just my auto correct for some reason doesn’t like the word Merlin and change it to anything else with an M. it’s annoying as hell but it happens****
> 
> :)


	12. A Peek Into The Order

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm listening to murder mysteries on Facebook, this girl talks of murders and ghost stories while doing her makeup, and I'm obsessed. 
> 
> Last chapter for today :) see you again. I'm tired so I don't have much to say. I've been writing for this since 2 am and now it's 10 am.

It has been a few days since Christmas. Merlin had opened the shop, and he sold quite a bit of product. And more electronic guides than products. But the grand opening was very well received by the wizarding community. There were many half-bloods who grew up with Muggle technology, and there were many Muggle-borns that were excited.

The purebloods scoffed at the technology and kept their distance for quite a few months. But that was expected. The business was booming either way. Everyone by now, I had to come back from the holidays, and the store was finally open with full capacity. The prices were so low that the products flew off the shelf.

Not that Merlin minded. He was told by quite a few people that he should raise the price. Seeing as it was so amazing and the technology itself was pretty expensive in the Muggle world. But Merlin refused. He wanted everyone to be able to have it, and he had more than enough money to provide for himself and for his business and his wages that he didn’t need to put the price so high; he had enough money to make everything equal for everyone. And that’s probably why he got a lot of business.

For the whole month of December and a little bit into January, there were pictures of Merlin and his products all over the news. While some newspapers were talking about the products like he wanted them to, a particular newspaper, _The Daily Prophet_ , focused only on Merlin only, having his face plastered over the front cover for days on end, much to his displeasure. 

But aside from the successful business venture, Merlin was invited to the Weasley house and was asked to bring some cell phones to show to the order. Most of the members would be there, even Sirius, who was told he shouldn’t come, but he was curious and planned to hide and just watch from afar. Merlin had a feeling as to what was happening and was actually excited.

He didn’t have any plans to join the war. But it doesn’t mean he didn’t want to help out. And he was slowly being inclined to join the war because his friends were seemingly a part of it. If Remus was part of the light, he was obviously going to fight in the war, and Harry Potter was probably the main protagonist of this whole event, so he would probably join as well. But he wasn’t in any rush. If anything serious happened, Merlin could push his way into the conversations and into the meetings if he so desired. But being introduced this way was safer and easier. 

Merlin arrived at the Weasley residence in the afternoon one Sunday in January. It was a peaceful day at the store, and he could leave it to Sam and Gideon to take care of everything. And Julius was truly a salesman. So he had no worry about his store. He did hire trustworthy people in the first place.

Remus and Merlin were currently standing outside of the Weasley residence. Merlin offered to meet him there, but Remus said he would happily take Merlin, and here they were. The people that were here from the order was practically everyone. Because they had to learn how to use the phone for it to be useful, this was basically a lesson that Merlin was going to give to a bunch of hardened veteran wizards and witches that did not look like they should be in class, yet here they were.

But even though Merlin seemed so young, he was, in fact, older than everyone in this room, so his passing down some wisdom didn’t seem so weird in the scheme of things. Not that anyone but Merlin knew that, though.

A few people from the order were curious to meet this up-and-coming pureblood. All they knew about him from The Daily Prophet was that he was rich, smart, and had a big booming business. They didn’t know anything about his past at all.

Not even from Remus, who knew him for half a year. And that was something they were planning on questioning him about. Remus tried to tell them to leave it alone, but they were not going to be lenient. If they were just using Merlin as a means of communication, they wouldn’t have to go in deep with the questioning.

However, Dumbledore and Remus vouched that Merlin would be useful to the order on a few occasions. If he were to become a member of the order, he would need to be vetted entirely and thoroughly. 

Dumbledore had some people go through his records. But that’s where they hit a stone wall. There were absolutely zero records of Merlin anywhere. Not even muggle records, which surprised some people. And made half of the order utterly suspicious of him. The only records that were available were muggle records that were recently made. It was made well, no doubt, it would probably fool Muggles easily, but it was recently made either way.

Half of the order or all the people who knew Merlin personally trusted him, while the other half of the order was totally against him joining, and even if they met him, they probably still wouldn’t like him for some reason or another.

The main people at the end of the argument were Mad-Eye Moody and Severus. Severus was saying that he could be a Death Eater in disguise and that this was stupid. And Mad-Eye Moody did not trust Merlin whatsoever. However, he did agree that Merlin’s technology would be useful to combat against Death Eaters, so he agreed that they should use his technology. Still, he disagreed with bringing him into the order. So this is where everyone was at right before Merlin walked in. 

The moment he walked into the room, everyone quieted it down. Merlin noticed a few people from papers and from walking around the Ministry so many times during his business opening. Of course, he recognized Dumbledore and the Weasleys.

He noticed a few people, but he didn’t know their names, but he knew they taught at Hogwarts. Merlin had seen them in the paper a few times because there’s a lot of trouble that happens at Hogwarts, and they’re in the paper quite frequently because of it. There were, of course, people he didn’t know. And there was one person who was hiding.

He knew there was someone covered by the shadows in the corner of the room, and if he wasn’t so attuned to magic, he probably wouldn’t have noticed it. And it worried him because he wasn’t sure if they had noticed it either.

So, of course, he opens his mouth,

“I don’t wish to alarm anyone, but does anyone else see the man in the corner. What I’m asking is whether he is supposed to be there or did he fly under your noses.” Merlin said, pointing to Sirius the moment he noticed him.

Merlin didn’t want to be rude, but he also realized what this meeting was and wanted to make sure everything was secure as they obviously wanted it to be.

However, at his question, everyone turned towards Sirius. Of course, they couldn’t see him, but they did know where he was because they saw him cast a spell in that area. And the question going through all their heads was, how the hell did Merlin see him?

Merlin made a mistake as he asked, does anyone know a man is standing there? Not that there is _somebody there_. Knowing that there was somebody, there would be easy to see if you were really good with magic. But knowing that there is a man there means you can see straight through the magic that was cast. And it was pretty advanced magic to hide, and that Merlin seeing it is weird in it of itself. 

If he had the invisibility cloak in front of him, Merlin could see through it as well. However, nobody knows that, not even Merlin since he never had the chance to see it before. In comparison to that cloak, the spell was nothing. The only thing that could truly hide anyone would probably be one of Merlin’s personal spells, but since Merlin is the only one who could use that magic anymore, nobody could hide from Merlin.

Sirius dispels the spell because it’s useless and walks up to Merlin with his wand drawn. He was obviously hostile. However, even as Sirius pointed the wand to Merlin his neck, Merlin did not even flinch. He wasn’t really scared; he wasn’t going to get hurt, so he didn’t need his wand to combat against any wizard, especially in this day and age. Actually, it would be better if Merlin didn’t use his wand at all. As of course, he didn’t need it. 

Instead of Merlin reacting, others in the room did. Remus pushed Merlin backward away from Sirius’ wand, and Dumbledore gently pulled Sirius back. Remus was apologizing to Merlin, but Merlin was nonchalant about it and obviously didn’t seem to care that he was just threatened, which calmed everyone else down that he wasn’t mad.

Also waiting for Merlin to notice who exactly had just attacked him. While Sirius looked different from his wanted poster, his face more cleanly shaven and hair washed and better clothes on, he still looked the same; he had the same face. 

Merlin didn’t notice who he was. It didn’t even click in his brain. He was just someone he read about in a newspaper a few months ago. But nothing that stuck in his brain long enough to connect the dots.

It surprised the man himself so much that Sirius asked, “Do you not know who I am?”

To which Merlin just stared at him, contemplating who he was, but nothing was coming to his brain. Merlin was brilliant. It’s just that he didn’t think it was useful information and forgot it. Merlin knew the name of the man who broke out of prison, but he forgot his face. The moment Sirius would introduce himself, he figured out who he was.

“Maybe it’s better off he doesn’t know you, Sirius.” An older and stern woman said.

She had moved up to stop Sirius, but it was resolved before she could do anything.

Saying his name sparked Merlin’s memory,

“Oh, Sirius Black, the person who escaped from Azkaban, that dreary place. Welcome back, I guess.”

Merlin had figured this all out in his head, that Sirius Black wouldn’t be here if he were a bad guy, so obviously he was good, and since he got out of Azkaban, he welcomed him back.

Now that went through his brain, but it’s not what came out of his mouth, so everyone in the room was just shocked and didn’t know what to do. Because from everyone else’s point of view, Merlin figured out that the person standing in front of him was _the_ Sirius Black and all he did was say welcome back. In everyone else’s eyes, Merlin had gotten weirder and weirder and weirder, basically.

Merlin noticed the confusion and simply said,

“Well, if he wasn’t a good person, I’m sure all you fine people wouldn’t let him be here roaming free.”

Most people were stunned.

So Remus asked,

“You’re not scared?”

Merlin looked to his friend,

“Should I be? I didn’t intend to say anything, but I assumed what this meeting was about. I’m not as dumb as I may seem sometimes. When you asked about Death Eaters,” Merlin said, pointing to Sirius, as he recognized it as the voice over the phone.

“And I can see Dumbledore at this meeting. I assumed this meeting was a group of people who were probably on the side of the light. I’m sure you call yourself something, but I have no idea what. But I knew what I was getting into coming here. I’m not clueless as to what’s happening around me.” Merlin said, meeting the eyes of everyone.

“I wasn’t going to say anything. I was going to let you all have your mystery, but seeing as you all trust this person, I will trust your opinion. I’m sure not every witch or wizard who is currently in Azkaban deserves to be there. Not that there are many who are innocent in those dark and dreary halls, but I’m sure that there are some who are, and if this man is one of them, then so be it. Who am I to judge a world I wasn’t really a part of?”

The stern older woman, also known as McGonagall, asks,

“What do you mean by a world you’re not a part of?”

Merlin smiled,

“I know everyone in the papers believes I am a pure-blooded wizard. However, I am a Half-Blood. And I grew up mainly in the Muggle world. So most trending wizarding things I don’t know of. Of course, I’ll let the papers keep saying whatever they want. I don’t have the patience to go and sit down for an interview.”

A few people in the room looked shocked because all the information they had about Merlin came from the newspaper. They knew nothing else, which is what started their questioning. 

“I hope you don’t mind, but we did a background check because, as you guessed, we are somewhat of a group against the Death Eaters. But there is no real information about you from the past few years.” Dumbledore says, questioning Merlin.

It’s probably the only reason they couldn’t fully trust Merlin because they didn’t know about his past. Merlin couldn’t exactly tell them about his time in Azkaban without making things 20 times more complicated. Because you only go to Azkaban for certain reasons. And Merlin reasons were dumb and not something he could tell either way. 

Especially as it would allude to his actual age, but Merlin did realize that he had to say something. And he concocted this idea on the spot. It’s not always good to tell a lie on the spot, but it couldn’t be helped in this scenario.

“I grew up in a small village in Wales, and it was really outdated with records, if I’m honest. I don’t even know what happened to my birth certificate. I had to get one remade because I don’t have my old one anymore. And since I didn’t have a birth certificate, none of my old information to identify me is available. It was a long process, but Gringotts helped me with that. I didn’t go to school formally. I was taught by my uncle, and I self-taught myself magic. I went to a few muggle universities just to learn about technology and such. But otherwise, I live a quiet life in the Muggle world. I only recently found out that I had an inheritance. I read some of my ancestors’ books, and I stumbled upon the storage building that had my Gringotts key. And after that, I realize that I was an heir to a very long lineage of pureblood wizards. But before that, I had no contact with the wizarding world. And both my mother and my uncle have long since passed away, so there is nobody to corroborate my story, but there’s not much else to say. I have lived quite a boring life until recently.” Merlin says.

Lying through his teeth, but what else could he say? That he was a 1,500-year-old sorcerer from King Arthur’s time and that he was _the_ _Merlin,_ that would go over _soooo_ well. So instead, he must lie. 

For the most part, his story was believed. Some people, of course, we’re going to label him as untrustworthy. But you couldn’t really change a person’s paranoia. Moreover, he agreed to work with them and said he wasn’t a budding Death Eater, which was probably what helped his case in this matter.

The light side was not a side brimming with trustworthy people, so if they could gain one more trustworthy benefactor, why the hell not. Of course, Merlin was questioned some more; the questions were more along the lines of why do you want to fight for the light, how can we trust you blah blah blah. And Merlin was not a bad person as his true self, so he answered most of the questions truthfully, and everyone was slowly starting to trust him. 

After he got that out of the way, he was told he could be a temporary member of the Order of the Phoenix as his membership was still in question because not all of the people trusted him completely. But either way, it didn’t really matter to Merlin.

He didn’t need to be front and center. Actually, he’d rather he wasn’t front-and-center with anything. It’s better for people like Merlin to stick to the shadows, to be undetected and unnoticed for as long as they can. And so Merlin began his class about all things cell phones. He handed out booklets on how to use the cellphone.

Merlin then taught them how to add each other’s numbers, and he taught them how to make phone calls to each other. Merlin made the order members practice calling each other from different rooms in the Weasley house. They were all amazed at the technology and the usefulness of a cell phone. 

Merlin advised them not to put their names on the phone. As contacts, you would normally put someone’s name, but since these phones were going to be used for order business, they should make up code names and such just for security sake. Everyone agreed, and they all made up a few nicknames and put them on the phone. And that was that. The meeting ended shortly after. And everyone went home.

But at the end of the day, Merlin was a new member of the Order of the Phoenix, sort of. Either way, he was getting more involved, and he was okay with that. It was somewhat true he had lived a boring life up until just now. Well, he had been living a boring 500 years was more like it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy :)
> 
> ***Uh next day edit, I fixed some things I messed up. Also if you see throughout this writing any word that starts with an M and it supposed to be a name in the context of the sentence but it’s not a name you’ve ever heard of before; it’s supposed to be Merlin. It’s just my auto correct for some reason doesn’t like the word Merlin and change it to anything else with an M. it’s annoying as hell but it happens****


	13. Creating Opportunities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin and the employees of Techno Mage head off to their first muggle technology convention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Okay, this author's note is going to be a little bit longer. But it is important so I need to address some things*
> 
> 1\. First, this chapter is a little bit weird. It fits into the story completely. But the purpose of this chapter is in no relation to the plotline of the story. This story could be great with or without this chapter. But I'm putting this chapter here to create opportunities. 
> 
> 2\. The title has two meanings. One it has to do with what the chapter is about. And two it's giving me the opportunity to take this story down another path after I finish it. 
> 
> What I mean by #2 is that I had an idea while chatting with someone who was commenting on this story, that it would be a fun idea to cross this story with another fandom. As the techno mage concept was unique and you can do a lot of stuff with it. 
> 
> I was thinking to cross it with the Avengers/MCU. At first, it was just a thought. Because this book is nowhere near done and this series is going to be three parts. So I'm nowhere near done with this book nor the series. And I was telling myself that I should stop saying that I'm going to do things because I might not do them. 
> 
> However, I had taken some time out a few days ago and thought about this crossover and I wrote it. I wrote the outline for it. I say outline, but I wrote eight pages. The outline that I wrote for this story was 10 pages. So I have a lot to work with and I obviously planned it out so I wanted to write this chapter so that I could have a starting point so that I can transition into the spin-off. That's why I don’t name anything conclusively and it's also why it's in America. Because I would like to add all of that specifics in the spin-off I plan to create some time in the future. 
> 
> Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I know it's a lot to think about and maybe some of you don't really care. But I thought I should point it out because this chapter is a little bit weird. Although it is a very long chapter. I had a lot to say apparently. It's about 6500 words. Which is very very long for a chapter for me. So I hope you enjoy it and I'll see you at the next one, which won't be for a while but I'll see you when I see you <3

Merlin woke up the next day feeling satisfied. In his few months living in the present again, he did good. Merlin established himself in the wizarding world again; he learned a lot, he caught up with most things Muggle, and he created something new. All in all, it was fun. He was satisfied again. But he was satisfied so much that boredom set in. 

Not that his life was boring, but since he went to the lake to reminisce about his old friends, he got himself into a slump. A slump that made him think is his friends ever really gonna come back? How long will he stay alive for? What happens after these friends die? Is he just cursed forever? 

Well, those are the thoughts that Merlin had all morning before he had to go to work, so obviously, when he went to work, he was in a depressed funk. And Merlin thought he was hiding it very well, but he was not.  _ Everyone _ noticed that he was not in a good mood. Maybe it was his less chipper attitude or that goofy smile missing from his face, but the mood of the shop was dragged down with Merlin’s mood. 

Sam wanted to ask; she was pretty curious, a bit nosey, if you will. It’s only because Merlin was always happy unless he was stressed, but even then, the goofy smile would appear every now and then. So this was weird. But he was her boss, and she felt asking him to his face was even a bit blunt for her. So she made her rounds to all her other coworkers. 

First, she asked Gideon, she talked with him the most, they were similar in age, and they both, surprisingly on Gideon’s part, loved to gossip. Gideon always knew a lot about what was going on around the British wizarding world … a lot of pointless stuff, but a lot nonetheless. But unfortunately for Sam, Gideon had no idea what was up with Merlin. So off to the next coworker. Julius was a waste of time to ask, not that he wasn’t brilliant, but he was somewhat less sociable than Remus, and Remus was the least social out of everyone that worked here. 

Julius was nice and very smart, but he tended to keep to himself unless he got you into a conversation about his family; then, he was a very proud chatterbox. But unfortunately, information about Merlin being sad wasn’t his forte. Now on the other Remus was an expert in all things Merlin. At least that’s what it seemed like. He could answer most questions, but the best part was if he didn’t know, he wasn’t trepid about asking Merlin. And if Remus didn’t know, Sam hoped he’d ask for her, so she didn’t have to. 

It turns out Remus had no clue. But somehow knowing that it’s been like this for a few days. It’s just obviously noticeable today. And he was willing to ask, Merlin was very well established, but he worried Remus sometimes. It was a lot for a kid to deal with. He still hasn’t been given a definitive on Merlin’s age, but it had to be young. He looked young. Merlin handled it very well, but Remus was still worried. 

It doesn’t take long after Remus’ conversation with Sam. He finds Merlin alone in the workshop. 

“Myridian, are you okay?” 

Merlin looks up, a bit dazed, like he wasn’t really paying attention to what he was doing. 

“Uh … yes?” 

Remus was confused, “Are you asking me?” 

Merlin looked confused, 

“What?” Merlin says, actually paying attention this time. 

“I asked if you were okay? You seemed sad.” Remus said, realizing Myridian didn’t hear him the first time. 

“Oh... it’s fine. I’m fine. I just...sometimes I get like this. Don’t worry; I’ll be back to normal soon.” 

Merlin said, making Remus even more worried, 

“You know you don’t have to get back to normal. That’s not why I’m asking. I’m worried.” 

Merlin genuinely smiled, 

“Thanks, Remus, but I’m fine. As I said, this happens from time to time. Whenever I feel satisfied with my life, past memories seem to haunt me a bit. But I deal with it. Don’t worry. But I appreciate it.” Merlin said, then he stood and stretched, seeming to stretch the bad feeling away because once he stood up straight, any sign he was sad was gone. 

It was actually a little scary how composed he could become so quickly, Remus thought. 

“Oh, by the way, Remus, in two days’ time, we have to close the store and head over to the Muggle world. It’s not really a big thing, but there is a scientific computer conference thing that I was invited to. So I decided maybe we could show up some of our products there.” Merlin said as he reached for something under his desk. 

“Of course, I’ve been working on this personally since this would only be sold to the muggle world. And I know most of you strictly live in the wizarding world, so I didn’t bring it up. But I have been working on a computer that is of my own design because while in the wizarding world; I can take in already made laptops and call it my own after magic proofing it. That’s kind of stealing in the Muggle world. Because I can’t explain how I made their electronics indestructible, but if I just build my own and say that it’s my own secret technology, nobody can attest to that. Nor force me to show how I did what I did. But since this is only me working on this, currently, it’s just going to be a small show & tell type of deal; not everyone has to come if they don’t want to. But I thought we could close the shop to give everyone a day off anyway.” Merlin continued while laying unique electronics on the table. 

“A muggle conference? But why?” Remus asks, confused. 

He thought that the whole reason Maryland started the shop was to integrate Muggle technology into the wizarding world, not the other way around. I could be a problem with it; it was just not something he was thinking about.

“Well, as you know, I don’t like the secrecy of the wizard in the world. I understand that it’s a necessity now, but I think we should slowly start to build a name for ourselves in the Muggle world. Being found out is inevitable, so maybe when it happens, we won’t be completely ostracized by the Muggles of the world. But instead welcomed. Not that building indestructible computers are going to do that digital pave the path so that other magical store owners might branch out into the Muggle world.” Merlin said simply.

“Magic can do such great wonders, and we could help so many people with it, but we stick to secrecy and keep hidden because we fear the Muggles. But that cycle needs to end eventually. And I feel like it’s my job to end that. I feel like it should’ve been done years and years and years ago, but I feel now is the time it could actually happen.” Merlin said seriously. 

He did feel like it was his responsibility to merge magic with the non-magic society. I mean, that was his goal 1000 years ago, and it still hasn’t happened yet. And every new ‘fake life’ he makes, he tries to bring the world one step further, but it seems it’s always going back to the old cycle of separation. But maybe in the end, for it all to really work out, he needs Arthur. Someone to unite everyone as he was supposed to do. 

On the other hand, Remus thought Merlin was half parts amazing and half parts crazy. Remus thought he was amazing because for such a young man to have these dreams and speak with such a feeling that it made you believe he could achieve it was the most wonderful thing that could come out of the next generation. But on that note, the fact that Merlin feels responsible for doing these things it’s just nuts in Remus’ head. He wanted to argue with Merlin, to say it wasn’t all on him nor his responsibility but he knew arguing with Merlin was not an argument he could win. Merlin had a way to make people believe him even if it seemed stupid and impossible. 

“Alright then, tell me more about the convention. Are we selling to the Muggles, or are we just showcasing it? I know you are very gung-ho about getting rid of the statute of secrecy, but for the moment, it still exists, and we shouldn’t go around breaking it. Or we’ll end up in Azkaban. The Ministry takes that very seriously, you know.” Remus finished walking closer to the new electronics Merlin had laid out. 

Merlin smirked, 

“Well, I don’t have any plans to break the Statue of Secrecy at the moment. I just want to make our company a little more known and we will offer products next year because we are obviously currently too busy dealing with the huge amount of sales in the wizarding world. But that being said, we could also see the competition in the Muggle world. See what we’re exactly up against and how they create new computers. These models that I built are awful. They’re just the basic models with a little unique shape. I need to see how a computer is actually made. So I thought, why not? It could be fun.” Merlin said, pulling out his wand, casting silently, and trying to destroy the objects on his desk.

The desk was made indestructible because The first time he did this, he broke the desk and broke the floor, so they decided not to let that happen again. Because somehow that happened twice. 

“Let the others know. I’ll keep fine-tuning these. Let them know they can have the day off, or they can come with me. You can have a day off, Remus if you want. I know it’s getting closer to the full moon.” 

Remus looked uncomfortable to talk about it. 

“No. I will come. I’ll let the others know.” He said as he left.

Merlin sighed deeply, he’s been trying to get Remus to be more comfortable with himself, but it was slow going. Well, he’s not giving up either way. 

Not five minutes later, Sam busts in. 

“We’re going to a Muggle technology convention!!! Really!! Oh, Merlin, I’m so excited!” She said as she bounced around the room. 

Merlin flinched at the swear but tried not to show it. 

“Yes, we are; here these are the information packets, read it and figure out stuff you want to see,” Merlin said, handing her the stuff he was sent with the invitation. 

Julius came in next but almost fell down as Sam passed him, running back to her desk. Merlin almost burst out laughing at the shocked look on his face. 

“Uh... I would also like to attend. I’ll go see the papers from Sam if I can get her to let me see them.” Julius said, sighing as he walked after the whirlwind that was Sam. 

She drank coffee regularly; she said it was a muggle thing, but it made her hyper as can be. 

Gideon came in last, 

“As fun as this sounds, I would prefer some sleep. You younger kids can tell me all about it.” Was Gideon’s response. 

Merlin also almost burst out laughing again because Gideon wasn’t even old. He was older than Sam and Julius by 15 or so years but still. 

Either way, that was basically everyone. Merlin decided to call one other person who might enjoy this trip the most. The phone rang for a long time before a muffled Mr. Weasley answered. 

“Myridian… boy, are you there?” 

“Turn the phone around, Mr. Weasley; it’s upside down,” Merlin said, suspecting the recurring problem.

“Oooh, your right, haha, thank you. This is so fantastic, did I tell you?” Mr. Weasly said clearer now that he was holding the phone correctly.

“Yes, you did. Anyway, I was invited to a muggle technology convention. Would you like to come?” Merlin offered.

“A convention? Do they do that? Oh, how wonderful. When is it?” Arthur Weasly asked.

“In two days. Are you available?” Merlin said, kind of sorry for telling him last minute.

“Uhhhh, two days. Hmmm. Oh yes! I’m available. Oh, this is exciting! I must tell Molly; she’d probably be happy to get me out of the house; I’ve just been so enthralled with these elect-uh-ronics, yes these electronics, that I’ve been forgetting to other things recently. I’m sure I’ve angered her. But she’s just a dear. But she loves me any-” Mr. Weasley said, slowly getting off-topic.

Merlin kept opening and closing his mouth as he was about to start talking but kept getting interrupted by Mr. Weasley continuing on and on and on. 

“Ah, Mr. Weasley, if I could cut in. If you could meet us outside the shop in two days, that’s where we will meet before taking a Portkey to a location near the center. I mapped everything out, and I created the Portkey in advance.” Merlin said quickly to get his word in. 

A little gasp was made over the line, 

“You created a Portkey yourself? How marvelous. If I weren’t so happy with what you’re doing with electronics already, I would say you could be a top contender in taking over Dumbledore’s position in the war. You’re a bright up-and-coming wizard. Just what the light needs.” Mr. Weasley said. 

Merlin actually blushed over the phone, 

“No, no, no, you overpraise Mr. Weasley and me. Creating a port key is something anyone can do, right?” Merlin asked because it was quite an easy spell to do. 

It was just a simple charm. It wasn’t a spell he created himself, but it was a spell that was around for quite a while and one that he used quite often when he had to hide his identity. Because he could transport himself halfway across the world without one, but it would look a little weird if he was with company. 

“Dear boy, the fact that you find it easy is a marvel in itself. It’s a very hard charm, and not a lot of people can get it just right. You are slowly changing the wizarding world for the better.” Mr. Weasley said. 

Merlin wasn’t really good with taking praises. Actually, he was the worst at it. But he enjoyed the praises of making the world a better place because it’s the least he thought he could do. 

* * *

Two days later, outside of TechnoMage, A very popular and busy bustling store. Though the store was not busy nor bustling today as it was closed. The first time it’s been close since it’s a grand opening. But the people who make that shop run we’re standing outside in excitement. 

Onlookers were curious as to what was happening but didn’t dare intrude on what they were talking about in their little circle near the front door. Sam was jumping up and down, giggling excitedly and talking whisperingly to Gideon, who was also very excited as he was swaying in his spot, also gossiping about what they would soon see in the Muggle world. 

Remus was just standing there with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall waiting for Merlin to show up. He was fashionably late, as per usual. He always showed up a few minutes late to almost everything. Merlin explained it as an old habit that was far too annoying to break now. Mr. Weasley had just arrived not five minutes ago. He was all bundled up in a sweater vest and a coat and a scarf and a big hat with a big poof ball on it. He was excitedly chatting at Remus, who was silently listening. But Mr. Weasley did not need him to add anything to the conversation; he was the conversation. It was still cold; it was only 3 weeks into January still. The cold winter weather would not leave London for quite a long time. 

But they did not have to wait in the cold for a very long time as not five minutes after Mr. Weasley came, Merlin saunters down the block in a brown coat with a red scarf and a blue long sleeve shirt. It was a weird combination of colors, but it just worked out perfectly on Merlin. His cheeks were red as well as his nose, and he had a bit of frost in his hair even though it didn’t seem that cold outside. “Ah, everyone is here! Great! Let’s go! Just grab hold.” Merlin said, holding out four tickets, keeping one on himself.

“I made the tickets into Portkey’s. I thought it would be easier, and everyone would be less likely to lose them.” Merlin said, feeling proud. 

Sam and Gideon, we’re about to reach out and grab them before Remus pushed their hands away and asked Merlin a crucial question that Mr. Weasley just didn’t think to question him about, even though he’s a ministry official and this should be something he should worry about. 

“ _You made them_?” He asked.

“Yes! A few days ago, why? I promise they work. I’m good at charms.” Merlin said, still proud of himself. 

“Myridian! You can’t just create Portkey’s; it’s illegal! They can only be issued by the Ministry.” Remus shouted but got quiet when people looked over at him. 

Mr. Weasley’s eyes widened, 

“Oh yes, Remus is right. You made several unauthorized Portkey’s; there might be a bad punishment for that.” He said, worried. 

Sam and Gideon just looked shocked, not knowing it was illegal.

Merlin looked down at them and then at his watch. 

“It’s not like they’ll throw me in prison. And anyway, how would they possibly know that I created them.” Merlin said, smiling sinisterly.

He quickly, with magic, placed a ticket in everyone’s hand and said, 

“3, 2, 1...here we go, hold on!” Merlin said as he disappeared; everyone else followed soon after; _all you could hear was the wind and Merlin cackling_. 

Sam and Gideon screamed the whole way, landing in a heap at the end. Mr. Weasley and Remus landed on two feet, but they looked a bit shell shocked. Merlin was standing there like it was nothing. To Merlin, using the Portkey was uncomfortable; it feels like you’re being hooked away like a fish on a fishing hook being yanked out of the pond, but Merlin was cured by shock on all of their faces. He actually couldn’t contain himself, and he was laughing at them. 

“Myridian! What were you thinking?” Remus said as the voice of reason. 

Everyone else was orientating themselves to the surroundings. 

“Relax, Remus. If no one tells the Ministry, how will they ever find out? And anyway, I did get permission to go to this convention, so if anyone makes a fuss, I’ll feign ignorance. Don’t worry so much. I can take care of it.” Merlin said, trying to reassure Remus, but it was not working. 

“Fine, it’s on you then; I was never here. Because I’m supposed to know better.” Remus said, putting the ticket in his pocket. 

“Ah, I should know better as well. But I forgot in my excitement. Myridian, you are very brilliant, but you shouldn’t carelessly break the laws, we are your friends so we won’t say anything but you should be careful in the future. The Ministry is not something you should mess with.” Mr. Weasley said seriously. 

Merlin realized they were worried for him and sobered up. 

“Sorry. I was having a bit of reckless fun. I’ll be sure to think things through in the future. Though I can’t make any promises on not breaking the law, I’m bound to accidentally do it every other day. I don’t like making promises I can’t keep.” Merlin said, ending his apology with a big smile to lighten the mood. 

Remus sighed but dropped it, not wanting to yell at Merlin. And Mr. Weasley took what he could get; he deals with his children breaking the rules all the time, he will settle for compromises. 

“Okay, now that that’s settled, come this way. After we pass through this thicket, we should come upon the convention center. Oh, I thought I should mention this, I probably should’ve said it earlier, but well, I forgot. The reason we had to take a Portkey and we couldn’t apparate was because we are no longer in London or England for that matter. We’ve actually crossed the pond, and we’re in the states. We have all day here, so if you don’t want to spend the whole day at the convention center, we could also traverse to the Muggle world or the magical side on this end of the pond. I believe we were in a place called New York. But I’ve never been here before, at least not for a very long time, and if I did, I can’t for the life of me remember. I might’ve been when I was a lot younger. Either way, I can’t be a tourist guide, but I’m open to going anywhere if you would like to go. I mean, it would be a shame to come all the way over here not check out the sites.” Merlin said, shocking everyone again. 

There were quite a few things that led up to the shock being so hardly felt. One, all the packets were in English, so they assumed that it was going to happen in London or somewhere in England. Scotland or Wales was not out of the options either, but they assumed in Europe. Two, the United States was a very, very long distance away from England. And while they all trusted Merlin because he was very good at charms and spells. The trust that they had built up was slowly starting to diminish because of how long of a trip they actually made. And they were wondering how much chance was involved in that they even survived the trip on an unauthorized Portkey. Three, they were all currently standing in New York City. **They were in America!** None of them had traveled to America thus far, and that was enough of a shock to leave them all speechless and staring wide-eyed at Merlin. 

“Bloody hell, I’m in New York! Best job ever!” Gideon said, taking out his cellphone and snapping photos. 

Even though they were in a secluded area and there weren’t really many cool things to take pictures of, he was just so awestruck that he was on another continent that even the flowers were interesting. 

“I’m in America? I’m in America? Huh? Boss, you should’ve told me earlier, I could’ve planned a day trip. I have so much stuff to do ahhhh!” Sam said, panicking.

She pulled her laptop out of her pouch on her hip. Not even taking a second to realize she was in the Muggle world, and that would be virtually impossible without magic. But luckily, they were alone, and nobody was around to notice it. But she sat down on the floor and started typing hard on her computer. She was trying to get a tour of the city booked for five. While waiting on everyone to get ready to go.

Mr. Weasley was for once completely silent, and he had taken a handkerchief out of his pocket to slightly dab the sweat on his face as he was quite taken aback about how far they traveled and how unhurt they all luckily seemed to be. Even though he knows that Portkey’s are the most reliable way to travel long distances, like I mentioned previously, it was an unauthorized portkey made by Merlin that made the sweat drip. Remus was blown away, but it wasn’t his first time in the states. The last time he came here, it wasn’t for pleasure; he was looking for a cure for being a werewolf. But that led to a dead-end and a loss of a lot of money. But still, he wasn’t prepared to be in America suddenly, and I called him off guard, as it did everyone else.

“Myridian, next time you decide to whisk us off to the States, tell us ahead of time,” Remus said, sighing deeply; he gave up feeling stressed or anxious because he was dealing with Merlin for half a year now, so he should be used to his antics, but Merlin just kept surprising him.

And not in a bad way but not in a good way either. 

“Sir, yes, sir. I honestly did forget. But let’s let bygones be bygones, and let’s just enjoy this day.” Merlin said, taking charge and leading them forward to the convention center.

The building was huge and very modern looking. Full of floor to ceiling glass windows that went high up in the air. This was Merlin’s first time seeing something so gigantic. Merlin has seen Hogwarts; he saw Camelot. But nothing really compared to the size of this enormous building. It was made of white concrete material, and there were glass windows all over the whole building on the walls and in the ceilings. It seemed Muggles really liked to make their buildings out of glass. Merlin couldn’t really understand it as it was a very easily breakable surface, and it concerned him greatly that if someone were to throw a rock at the window, what would happen if it were to break? But luckily, none of the people around the building were throwing rocks at it, so it was an irrational fear for the moment. 

Merlin let his group of sheltered wizards all around the convention center. There were many different stalls filled with new technology. Some stuff they’ve never seen before and some stuff they were very familiar with. Surprisingly there were a lot of cars scattered around. Apparently, new tech didn’t just mean cell phones and computers; it meant everything.

There were even stalls for kitchen appliances that had practically useless add-ons. Like, what was the point of a toaster with a touchscreen? Or a fridge that could talk. They were unimaginable feats in technology, but they were seemingly useless in the wizard size, but they were fantastical, and they kind of wanted them. 

There were quite a few stalls with weapons; Merlin wasn’t too interested in it. But the others were. Not that they wanted to use the weapons. Hell, they probably couldn’t understand any of it anyway. But they were curious as to what Muggles created because they rarely get taught anything about Muggles in school. And anything that you get taught is outdated, to say the least. To say they were shocked was an understatement. Merlin wasn’t so interested in the weapons, but they did shock him quite a bit as well.

The sheer destruction that Muggle weapons caused was unfathomable in the eyes of a wizard. Most wizards thought that Muggles were savages and that they only swung around swords and we’re just powerless without magic. But here, watching these screens showing battles of Muggles with guns and weapons of mass destruction. It scared the wizards deep into their bones. How could they ever think they were so much stronger than Muggles? They were absolutely wrong. In the time that they abandoned Muggles and hid themselves away, the Muggles have grown stronger and scarier.

Merlin hoped it didn’t have an opposite effect on the wizards and witches of the world. One would think that if muggles were so much stronger than wizards, that means they must hide more. Merlin did not want the wizards and witches of the wizarding world to think of it like that.

He wanted them to think more along the lines of ‘they’re not as terrible as we thought they were, and we should combine our forces for peace.’ But honestly, watching the videos of towns being blown up. Merlin could see where the fear came from. He felt it himself.

But they didn’t spend the whole time they’re looking at other booths. They had set up their own booth. They had to run to the spot for it. It was kind of shabby looking. It was a single table with a flimsy tablecloth on it and a few chairs. The chairs were folded up in a stack, and it took the wizards a while to figure out how they exactly worked. They had a premade banner made for them. Merlin had to figure this all out previously, but this was his first time, so everything looked a bit dreary and plain. It was a large blue and white sign that read: **Techno Mage: Indestructible Technology**. That was their slogan for this little demonstration they were doing. 

They weren’t selling anything. They were just here to show off their products. And if there was any interest in buyers or future customers in the Muggle world. They would take their name, number, and email down and call them back when they were ready to sell. Or so that was the plan for the future. The stall was plainly set up, and there wasn’t really much to put out on the table. Merlin had brought two laptops to cell phones of different models that he had created. And he brought a printer and a camera. Merlin had asked Sam to create business cards in any design she chose. She was the designer for the company; Merlin wasn’t really up with trends, so leaving it to someone else was probably for the best. 

And Sam always came up with really beautiful designs. She had made a geometric pattern on the card with their name, slogan, phone number, and email. She charms it with magic to make it holographic. She had seen something Muggle made that was holographic, but she didn’t know how the Muggles did it, so she did it her own way with magic. Her holographic laptop cases were always sold out. And the store hasn’t even been open that long, but they are never any in the store long enough before they’re sold out completely again. 

The desk was set up simple. The electronics were displayed nicely on one side of the desk. There were a bunch of placards on the desk explaining exactly what they did. And explaining their unique designs. And there was also a set of tools on the other side of the desk. There was a pitcher of water. A pitcher of soda. There was some grease, Mr. Weasley had brought that from his morning breakfast. There was a hammer. There was a small knife that was sheathed; Merlin had procured it from his vault in Gringotts. And there was a slightly larger fully metal mallet, with a pointy end on one side and a flat end on the other. 

Behind the desk, there was also a box that was see-through. That would be used for containing be a mess. Merlin told everyone that they would be there for at least 4 to 5 hours. It should give them enough time for people to come and ask questions and to see the demonstration. 

But also so that they still had enough time in the day to go sightseeing. Merlin had planned to go sightseeing all along. The convention was the main reason he came here, but he really did want to go sightseeing, and along with Sam, they had already planned a detailed adventure for the rest of the day after the convention was over and done with. 

Throughout the day, quite a few people actually came up and asked questions. Many people were interested in the unique designs differentiating between each technological device. Merlin had told everyone that had come that they were going to do a demonstration on how each product was indestructible at a certain time. And a lot of people make sure to come back for it. 

Merlin had thought to set up a time when he would hold a demonstration rather than doing the demonstration over and over and over again. While he had lots of supplies, it was sort of challenging to keep pulling pitchers of liquid out of nowhere. Especially since there were a lot of cameras around, and lest he gets caught on a camera and gets seen doing magic. So instead, they set a time two hours after they had set up their booth where they were going to hold a demonstration on how indestructible their technology was. 

It grew quite the crowd. A lot of people were interested. Some people seem to look at the ‘tools for destruction’ thinking they were impossible things to overcome with technology. But they were about to be amazed. After all, it was a magical performance. Not that any of the silly Muggles knew. 

The demonstration went off with a hit. Merlin had taken out that clear box and placed it on the table; he powered on one of the laptops and put it in the box. The laptop was being controlled by Sam’s other laptop that she had in her hand. She was making pictures change on the screen, so people know it was working. Merlin then took a picture of water, held it up for everyone to see, and slowly poured it onto the laptop. The laptop was sitting firmly in some water so the people could still see that the laptop was working. 

And there were no electrical fizzes or pop sounds that would prelude to the laptop breaking. Merlin then continued to pour the liquid in. Adding the other pitcher full of soda in as well, yet the laptop seems to be working completely submerged in water and soda. The performance got quite a round of applause as everyone was very amazed at what they were saying. This was something that nobody thought was possible, at least for the next five or ten years. Yet here it was in front of their eyes. 

Merlin’s next performance or demonstration was he took the cell phone and placed it on the table. He then picked up the mallet. And he raised it above his head to smack down onto the phone. A bunch of people quickly backed up and shield in their eyes even though they were still peeking at it because they wanted to see what exactly he was trying to do.

But to their astonishment when Merlin brought the mallet down hard onto the phone’s surface. There was not one single scratch. There was no need to cover their eyes as the phone was in perfect mint condition, as if he never touched it with a mallet at all. That garnered him a sweeping round of applause from everyone who was watching.

Who wouldn’t want an indestructible phone? Who wouldn’t want a laptop that could be completely functional underwater? And the answer is everyone would want it. And by the end of their demonstration, almost all of their business cards disappeared in an instant. A lot of people were looking forward to their products in the next year or so. There were even some famous Muggles that stopped by. Not that the wizards knew, as most of them were oblivious to Muggle pop culture. 

Overall the day at the convention was well spent. A lot of people were looking forward to their magical technology advancements. And they were quite satisfied with all they got to see. Even if some of the things they would never use were at the convention, they got to see a lot of exciting things. They also bought some interesting stuff. Marilyn bought a few gadgets that he wanted to deconstruct and remake into his own version. 

Mr. Weasley bought one of everything he thought was interesting. He went on a bit of a splurge and had to have Remus remind him that he might be spending a little too much money. Remus bought a few things as well. Nothing too noticeable, but he found some smart appliances that interest him a bit.

Sam and Gideon both had bags on each of their arms. Sam must’ve been carrying six bags while Gideon was carrying at least eight. They went a bit overboard, but they were very excited and happy, and their buying spree was not over yet. Especially not when they had expandable bags where they could drop off all of these heavy bags into their little pouch and be on their way once they got into a secluded place. 

Also, they have yet to see the rest of the Muggle world on their tour. They were going to go on very soon, and they were prepared to buy everything that caught their eye because it’s not every day that they went to America. 

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the Muggle world. And they even had time right before their Portkey’s activated again to walk into the magical side of New York. And they got home stuffed full of food, knickknacks, and a bunch of useless stuff they probably didn’t need. But they were happy, and they had a lot of fun. And it seemed that the Muggle convention in the Muggle world was quite the exciting adventure. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also had one more thing to say. I got a comment I think on one of my last two chapters. Someone was telling me that when characters other than Merlin are thinking about Merlin, they obviously don't know his name is Merlin so when they think about him they think about him as Myridian. 
> 
> Which makes perfect sense. And it's completely correct that I shouldn't be writing Merlin when I should be writing Myridian. That is proper English and the right way to do it. However, I hate it. I absolutely hate doing that. I know it's the right way to do it. But it annoys the crap out of me. It irks me so much that I had to write this response. I can understand where you're coming from because I realize that you were right in what you're telling me. But it bothers me so much that I cannot do it. I tried. I really really tried but it's so annoying. 
> 
> It takes so much effort to go through my story and change it that I'm not going to do it. Because I can't do it while I'm writing. Because it slows my writing down by 100%. I can write chapters depending on how long I plan to make them in 20 minutes to an hour. I just have to find the motivation normally. Or the creativity in my brain. But generally, it takes me 20 minutes to an hour to write a chapter. By trying to fix it while I was writing it took me an hour to write two paragraphs. So I'm not doing it. I don't care, I hate it, and I'm not doing it. 
> 
> I enjoy your constructive criticism and your comments that help me but sometimes my writing style is very irritating and it won't let me change it because it irks me so I'm just going to continue to do what I was doing. 
> 
> If this for some reason bothers someone and they want me to change it….Well too fucking bad it's too annoying lol. Honestly, it’s just fucking with me so I’m just gonna ignore it. If it bothers anyone sorry but that’s just my writing style.


	14. Equipping Auror’s

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was really in the mood to write the story. So you do not just get one update today; you get two. Yay! This chapter is going up first, and the next chapter will be up shortly thereafter. 
> 
> I was at work all weekend long and even onto Monday. I normally only work part-time, just on the weekends, but I had no school on Monday, so I opted to go to work, and it was so much work. The Doctor who I work with originally only hired me to do paperwork. But now he's starting to teach me medical machines, and while it's cool, it's a lot of work and hard to understand especially since I'm not trying to become a doctor. But they're like machines that are like preemptive before there's any actual test. So anyone can do them, and you don't have to be a doctor. It was taking me a while to figure them out because the doctor walked up to the machine, touched a bunch of buttons, and then said, do you understand? like I could understand it from 1 go around. I was so nervous.
> 
> And then I have this nice old lady who came, and she was so sweet, but she could not keep her head straight, and it took almost 10 minutes for her to do two tests that normally took 5 minutes to do. It's just cuz she kept looking away from the machine, and I was like, you have to stare at the light in the machine. It was so annoying. I also don't really want to do the work for those machines. I'd rather just keep doing paperwork cuz I have so much paperwork to do. 
> 
> But I did like that I got to take pictures of people's eyeballs on the front and the back. I don't really understand how the machine works, but it's cool.

Merlin and the gang got back from New York City about a week ago. The day they got back, they were all so tired of running around the city and seeing all the sites that they all fell asleep in the shop. They came there to have a drink, but they ended up falling asleep on the couch halfway through. The next morning they were partially hungover and still as tired as can be, but they all made their way home.

The store didn’t get properly up and running with everyone there until Friday of that week. Merlin couldn’t blame anyone; he was also tired. He had so many different products that he was creating at the same time. He put it on hold while he went to New York, but there was just so much. He also had all these Muggle business cards that were interested in his products even though he wasn’t planning on doing anything just yet.

He put them all in a folder and put them in a desk drawer. He would go back through them in a year or so. Just not yet he wasn’t ready for that much expansion. Plus, he was too swamped with work at the moment. There wasn’t too much to do fundamentally. He already has a spell, and he configured it so that any wizard with some smarts and good spell work could accomplish it.

He also had a good supply of Muggle technology coming in. At first, he would just hit up Muggle computer shops and just buy their whole inventory. But he got a lot of strange looks from doing that. Especially that one store owner that told him that Merlin had bought out his whole stock for the next year and told him to stop coming back.

Merlin felt bad, though, and he donated some money to help with the store and getting back in business. But with that, he games information on how to get a deal from the manufacturer. If he needed a lot of laptops, he could buy them straight from the factory rather than secondhand through stores. So now it was a much easier deal acquiring laptops and whatever other muggle technology he needed. Now that he has, the wizards were capable of doing the spell and enough technology to keep up with the product supply and demand aspect of the business. There wasn’t too much to do. Sam was good at creating the designs and was really good at managing what she had to do.

She always produced the products that she agreed to produce on the exact date of the deadline that she set for herself. So there was never any trouble on that side either. She also opened up a side business with Merlin's permission to do design requests. Merlin had no problem. It's not like he needed more money, and it was her work anyway. So her side of the business was going perfectly well. The store was running thanks to Julius and Gideon smoothly. Remus was managing the store great, and business was booming. 

But Merlin, of course, made himself even busier. He was quietly working with the order. Nothing exciting, really; he wasn’t fighting with death eaters or stopping Voldemort. He was just communicating with Dumbledore. Dumbledore had thought it would be a good idea to selectively sell his products to certain people Dumbledore trusted within the ministry.

To equip them to be able to fight more easily against those fighting for the dark lord. He thought that having cell phones was such a great innovative step forward. And he thought one department that could use the product more than most others would be the Auror department. Merlin already knew that they were like police officers, which he also learned about. Basically just knights of the modern world, and instead of following kings or queens, they would follow their government. 

Merlin was busy setting that up. But he was also thinking about some things. Nothing he would mention to Dumbledore or any of his friends like Remus. He was honestly thinking about joining the war. He knew what would happen if he honestly decided to truly fight for one side. And he didn’t like the idea of it being so one-sided if he tried his hardest to win. But he also deeply cared about a lot of people that we're fighting on the side of the light. He also felt bad for Harry; he read the newspapers he read about his life, how involved he already was in the war that has yet to happen again. He didn’t want there to be a war, but he understood that it was inevitable. There was nothing stopping him from entering other than his own conscience.

So it’s not like he was forbidden to fight in the war. But Merlin made a sort of promise to himself that he wouldn’t fight in a war unless Arthur was the one leading it. Well, it’s been a long time since he attached himself to people. It’s been a long time since he really cared about anyone. So maybe just once more. Once more, he’d fight. Whatever the outcome may be. Even if he ends up outliving these friends, too, Merlin wants to fight just one more time. He’s left it up to fate more times than he can count, so just once couldn’t hurt, right? 

Anyway, while Merlin and Dumbledore were talking, they decided to set up a date where Merlin could show off his products to the Auror department. Merlin was wholeheartedly in agreement with whatever Dumbledore wanted to do. He was all for equipping his products for the law-enforcement of the wizarding world. Dumbledore had set up an appointment.

That in two days, Merlin would go to the ministry of magic and meet up with Kingsley since they already knew each other. And he could go there and show off his products. Merlin easily agreed, having some new products and some new ideas in the works that he could get ready in two days to show off. Once that was set, Merlin got to work on what he wanted to show, and in no time, two days passed.

On the day of meeting with Kingsley, Merlin and Remus quickly floo’ed to the Ministry at the appointed time.

Kingsley wasted no time with just small hellos,

“Hello, again, Remus and Mr. Emrys.”

Remus nodded while Merlin insisted,

“Please call me Myridian.”

Of course, Kingsley said it wasn’t polite and that he didn’t know Merlin well enough. But it was soon dropped as they quickly headed over to the Auror department because that’s where the business would take place. 

However, while Merlin and Remus were walking through the Auror department, they came across a man. The man had grayish-black hair and green eyes. Merlin had a feeling that he knew the person, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember why.

He figured it was not important and just decided to listen to what the man was saying because what the man was saying was a very interesting story. The man was standing in front of an Auror and was sort of desperately trying to tell the officer in front of him his story, but the officer in front of them wasn’t really paying too much attention to it.

“I’m telling you! I think I saw one of the escapists. He was wearing dirty, ragged prison garb. And he was walking around on the day of the breakout. Why don’t you believe me?” The man standing there looked fed up.

“Okay, what was his name? Where is he now? What did he look like other than the clothes he was wearing? If you can’t answer these questions, I can’t take your claim as a true claim.” The Auror said as he was looking just as annoyed as the guy talking to him.

Kingsley stopped by them,

“What’s the problem here?” He asks.

The man with green eyes turns to look hopeful,

“Great, maybe you will listen. I’m trying to tell this doofus over here that I witnessed someone who could be the missing prisoner that everyone is talking about in the newspapers. I saw a man on the day of the breakout walking in the streets dirty and in prison garb; he appeared right in the middle of the road, and he didn’t seem to know what was going on around him. Did I stop to ask his name, or did I inquire why he was there? No, why would I? I just warned him not to appear in the middle of the street where Muggles could see, and I went on my way. But now that I’m thinking about it, it kind of makes sense that he might be one of the prisoners nobody caught.” While he was saying this, Merlin’s face slowly fell; he now knows where he saw this man.

Merlin subtly turned his head away and positioned his whole body away from the man who is speaking. Nobody else seemed to notice except for Remus, who gave him a curious look. But Merlin ignored it, trying his best not to be seen. 

Though he does look completely different, even though Merlin went through the whole rags to riches process, he was still worried because his face is still the same. Also, because it was the same day he met Remus wearing those exact same clothes. He wanted to steer them away from the conversation, but he didn’t want to bring attention to himself either.

Overall his face looked completely uncomfortable, like he wanted to get out of the situation as soon as possible. Remus noticed the uncomfortableness in Merlin's face, but he couldn’t understand why. He thought it might’ve been from the story that he heard, so he tuned in a little bit more closely. Basically, exactly what Merlin didn’t want him to do.

Kingsley looked at the Auror, who was basically ignoring the man,

“Write up his statement; we will investigate it. The Minister is taking this case seriously; ANY information is relevant. It’s not up to _you_ to decide who to believe and who not to believe!” Kingsley said, glaring but leaving it at that.

“Thank you for coming in, sir. While you didn’t talk to this man? You said it was a man, right?”

“Yes! A young boy, an adult mind you, but very young-looking.” The man clarified.

“Okay, that’s a better place to start than any. Anyway, as I was saying, why you didn’t speak to this man nor had a very long time to talk to him? Any information that you can provide about his appearance will help with this search.” Kingsley said, smiling a friendly business smile at the man.

“Hmmm, well, as I said, I don’t remember much. But let’s see...something that stood out…….hmmm….well, there was one thing. His eyes were a unique shade of blue. I can’t recall exactly, but they stand out the most for me. He had longish hair, but he could easily change it. It was dark in color, but it was dirty, so I’m not too sure about that one. But he had a young face; it’s why I even called out to him in the first place. I thought he might not know about the statute of secrecy or rather more likely set apparation points.” The man said, trying to recall that day. 

All the while, Merlin started to sweat. He was panicking. It’s not like it would be the end of the world if they find out. But it would make his life very, very, very difficult. So he was trying not to have anyone find out if he could help it. He had no problem telling his friend Remus, but he would like to do it on his own terms, preferably much later on in their friendship, so that there is more trust built up between them. Merlin decided that he was just not gonna pay attention to the conversation on the outside. His ears would be listening to what was happening, but his whole body was shifted to look about the room like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Merlin even did a little bit of wandless magic, and he raised his heels in his shoe up a few inches so that he looked even taller than he was so that maybe it would change the appearance the man remembered. He would’ve changed his hair color and eye color, too, but he was afraid Remus would look at him weirdly. But his efforts went in vain because Remus was already looking at him like he was nuts.

It’s not that Remus thought he was crazy; it's just that he didn’t understand why Merlin suddenly got taller or why he was totally not paying attention to what was happening. He wasn’t going to think too deeply about it, but he decided to remember the story just in case he figured out why Marilyn was acting like this. The story didn’t mean anything to him. _At least not yet._

“Alright, Smith, take down everything he’s saying and start investigating. I have some other business.” Kingsley says to the Auror, now known as Smith.

He then turned to Remus and Merlin,

“Gentleman, shall we? Mr. Emrys?” Kingsley asked, confused, not realizing Merlin turned around.

“Huh, oh, yes! Let’s continue.” Merlin said, smiling weirdly to skew his face up.

It didn’t really do anything; I just made him look really stupid. And by now, everyone was looking at him weirdly. But Merlin was purposely smiling with his eyes shut as far as he could while still being able to see.

“Shall we?” He re-asked Kingsley.

“Sure, please this way.” Kingsley ignored it, leading them to his office.

Merlin followed quickly, walking weirdly with the added height. Remus followed behind with skeptical eyes and a big frown on his face. But just before he got out of hearing range, he heard the man with green eyes say something startling.

“Wow, he looked similar to that guy.” It was quietly said and wasn’t even fully affirmative.

But Remus filed it away for later, seeing as it was quite an interesting little tidbit of information. But seeing as he didn’t have all the pieces to the puzzle that was all he could do is just remember to remember. 

Meanwhile, Kingsley finally led them into his office and shut the door. By the time they both walked in, Merlin’s height was back to normal, and he was grimacing more so than smiling. It’s not that he was upset he was just embarrassed about what he just did, thinking back to it.

“Okay, so I guess I should show you the products. I designed some new designs; while I’m good at magic, I’m not too great a muggle technology. So I don’t know how to make better technology, only the designs and such. I would need a smart Muggle or a determined wizard for that. But for now, it’s fine. So instead of being able to offer new technology, I can only offer new designs. But I’m sure you’ll have no complaints.” Merlin said, getting into why he was really here.

“There are 4 new designs. There’s not much difference between them. But I’ll exclusively only sell it to this department. They were crafted to be able to be handled with little care. At the same time, all the products that I make are indestructible. There are a few tests that proved to be a little bit more susceptible to breaking. We found that if we dropped it from an impossibly high height, the phone and other products are still capable of breaking. And we also figured out that submerging the products in water for more than a month does tend to cause some malfunctions. While the magic is very reliable, it’s not impenetrable. There are some magic constraints to it. But to any normal means and normal magical means, they will not be destroyed. At least that was the case with our regular products.” Merlin said, smiling.

“These are different. For these are created personally by myself. And all of them will be created personally by myself. Maybe it’s my better understanding of the spell since I created it, but the products that I create personally tend to last longer no matter what is done to them.“

Of course, it wasn’t that his understanding of the spell was more profound than any of the other spell casters. But it was his magic that was so much more raw and potent than the magic of today that they worked just so much better, even under the same spell. Of course, Merlin couldn’t say that, so his next best explanation was that he understood the spell so much more deeply than anyone else who would replicate his creation. 

Kingsley became pretty interested in the offer after a brief explanation of how they were used and Merlin handing over a user's manual for the cell phones. Merlin promised a discount as it was being sold to a friend of a friend. He would be willing to make a contract that any new phones that he created would be updated every two years. Kingsley was in charge of the deal, so he agreed to say that they could afford it, and business was going pretty smoothly. 

The day was going pretty smoothly until, as they were heading back out of the ministry, they heard some horribly interesting news. While it was very interesting, it was also horrible. Apparently, while they were also busy with creating the technology and opening the business. Much more sinister and terrible stuff was going on at Hogwarts. The year was almost done, Christmas had just ended a month or two ago, and apparently, in that short time, the school went to shit.

According to the rumors that were floating all around Merlin and Remus at the ministry at the moment, apparently, Dumbledore had disappeared. Apparently, they were trying to arrest him for something Marlon couldn’t understand what exactly it was they were arresting him for. But when they went to go get him, they lost him as in he escaped quite magically. 

Merlin, as curious as ever, walked up to a passing wizard and asked what exactly was happening at Hogwarts as he didn’t have a child, so he wasn’t so sure about what was going on. The passing wizard was all too happy to exchange some gossip.

“Did you not hear? Apparently, at the beginning of the year, the ministry of magic fudge elected his undersecretary to work at Hogwarts. And she just got Dumbledore fired. Now she’s the new headmistress.” The man whispered.

Merlin tried to think who was the undersecretary to the minister. He feels like he knows, but he just can’t put a face to her.

The man seems to see him struggle and says,

“It’s Dolores Umbridge. She was at the trial for Harry Potter during the summer. She said, next to the minister, you know.” The man said.

Remus frowned while Merry spoke,

“Oh, that toad of a woman. Why would people trust her with their children? Her views on society are all wrong.” The man who was just in there for the gossip shrugged his shoulders and went on his way. 

“Well, now that’s another thing to worry about. This must’ve just happened. I was talking to Dumbledore just two days ago, and he never alluded that anything was wrong. Hmm, I bet school life sucks.” Merlin said out loud to Remus.

“Yeah, she is a horrible woman; I’m worried for Harry.” Remus responses.

“Well, they have those-those uh things you told me about. The days they get to go to that village outside of Hogwarts, right? We can go visit if you want. I’m curious to see Hogwarts; it’s been a- I mean, I would like to see it.” Merlin said, correcting himself.

Merlin was worried as well. The school is so isolated that anything that happened in there, you wouldn’t really get to know what’s happening unless you talk to someone that’s been living through it.

“Oh, I don’t know……………..you think we should?” Remus asks.

“Yeah, let’s send an owl. I tried texting Harry already, but for some reason, I’m not getting a response. Hmm, maybe he forgot to charge it.” Merlin said, holding his phone.

Merlin thought it was weird that Harry wasn’t answering any of his messages on the phone or computer. _But it’s not like the school would confiscate his products from the students._ No, haha, he’s probably just overthinking things. **Hahahahaha…...right?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, recently I've been getting questions about whether Merlin will start fighting Death Eaters and whatnot. I agreed that Merlin should start getting into the action a bit. And I also realized I didn't have much time left for some of the things that happened in the book to start happening right now. 
> 
> So not in the two chapters that I'm posting today, but in the next few chapters, there are going to be some fights. I think soon the fight in the Department of Mysteries is going to happen, so that'll be interesting. 
> 
> Side note:  
> The idea for these two chapters came from an idea I had that while Merlin would be in the ministry he would happen to pass upon the man that he met when he first escaped Azkaban and he would hear him retelling the tale of meeting Merlin(though the man can't really remember him) and how he thinks he's an escaped prisoner. I thought that would be a funny thing to put in and this is how these two chapters were born.


	15. Taking Down A Toad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked writing this chapter. 
> 
> I feel like Merlin is more protective of children. Because he feels so much older than everyone else, he just feels protective of the newer generation. And also, he's always been protective of children. Especially with Mordred in the beginning and with all the Druid children. I feel like that's just in his character's nature. I have plans for him in the future. But for now, this is a character trait of his, so I'm going to playoff it. 
> 
> And I think anyone would be pissed off at Umbridge, honestly. I hate her more than Voldemort.

After conversing strictly through owls, Merlin arranged a meet with Harry. It took a little convincing, but Merlin was compelling when he needed to be. The hogsheads trip was today, and Merlin and Remus left pretty early. Merlin wanted to see Hogwarts, so Remus was going to walk him over to the gate. Remus would love to show him around, but he said without Dumbledore there, he probably wouldn’t get permission.   


Merlin suggested they just sneak in, and even though Remus knew how, he decided not to do that. Merlin pouted but eventually agreed but telling Remus he should have a little more fun.

A few minutes after apparating there, they make it to the gate. And while Remus insisted that the boat's view was the best, this view was also just as beautiful. And Merlin agreed; it’s been about 600 years since he last graced those halls as a student. He’d go back as a student every few centuries or so just to experience school life, but it’s been a very long time since his last visit. But the school hadn’t changed at all in these 600 years, not one bit. 

After waiting for about an hour, not that they minded, they were just chatting about Remus’ school days. But all too soon, the gates opened, and kids started coming out. Seeing the green, yellow, red, and blue uniforms and the desperately excited faces was so nostalgic for Merlin. It really has been a long time that he was gone. 

Soon enough, Harry Potter comes out almost tripping on the wet ground, but he’s saved by a young girl with bushy brown hair and a thick scarf and probably one of Mr. Weasley’s children, as the resemblance is uncanny with his red head of hair. They noticed Remus and Merlin quickly as Merlin was standing there waving enthusiastically. 

They quickly joined them and headed over to one of the pubs. Merlin’s ordered them all a round of butterbeer. And he got some finger food to go with it. Once they were settled and Remus engaged them in some light conversation, Merlin looked at the children, like really looked at them. While they had smiling faces and they were enjoying their butterbeer, Merlin noticed something off. Nothing to do with what they were saying, nothing to do with their faces; he just felt something was wrong. He looked away from the three children sitting in front of him and started to look at the other children in the store.

Some of them were working on their homework, mostly the blue-uniformed Ravenclaws.  The Hufflepuff’s clad in their yellow uniforms enjoyed the food but spilled the butterbeer a bit too much. And the green-clad Slytherins in the room were enjoying themselves but keeping to themselves as usual. But Merlin just felt off. He looked back to the three kids in front of him and studied everything about them. What seemed different than the last time Merlin saw them? What changed? 

Nothing too noticeable, but Merlin noticed Harry was favoriting his left hand always over his right. But that could just be because he’s left-handed. But his right hand never moved from his lap, not once. 

“Harry? What’s your wand hand?” Merlin asked, interrupting whatever Hermionie was about to say. 

“Uh oh um, my right hand. Why?” Harry answered, not sure what was going on.

“Oh well, can I see your wand?” Merlin asked. 

Remus had no idea what Merlin was doing, but he trusted him. None the wiser, Harry just said sure, lifting his right hand and handed over his wand. But Merlin didn’t take it; he rather grabbed Harry’s entire arm pulling him halfway across the table. The moment Harry lifted his arm, Merlin noticed something; he noticed some rather unsettling magic in the air, and he noticed it was coming from Harry’s arm. 

“What the-?” Harry tried to pull his arm back but only succeeded in sitting down again as the arm was lost in Merlin's tight grip. 

“ **Where did you get this** ?” Merlin asked darkly, looking at the gashes on the back of Harry’s hand. 

Merlin noticed that there were words carved into his hand. And he was pissed, who could do this to a child. 

During all this, Remus tried to get Merlin off Harry, not understanding what he was doing, but he froze at the marks on his hand. He rarely gets angry; at least he tries to hold in his anger; it’s normally for the better. But just like Merlin, he was pissed. Harry wasn’t his child, nor was he Harry’s Godfather, but Harry was one of his best friends' children; he cared for Harry dearly.

Once Merlin questioned Harry, he couldn’t help a growl to escape his lips. Merlin looked at him briefly, putting a hand on his shoulder but still didn’t let go of Harry, waiting for an explanation.

“Uh…” Harry didn’t respond right away, instead of looking at Hermione and Ron for help.

Ron shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what to say. While Hermione gave him a look that said, ‘ _why don’t you tell them now it’s the best time_.’ Harry looked back and gulped. 

“Uh, it’s just detention punishment. It’s not that ba-“ 

“Oh, so scarring children for detention is allowed? Mutilating a child's hand is allowed at the school as okay punishment? What the hell is going on?” Merlin asked, looking at Remus.

“No. That is not acceptable. Who is serving out this detention? Harry, tell us!” Remus insisted.

Hermione answered for Harry, “It’s that horrible woman, Professor Umbridge.”

“Yeah, that toad is picking on Harry especially,” Ron said, adding to the conversation. 

“She is picking on you; why? Not that I agree at all with her form of punishment, at all, but what are you doing to incur her wrath?” Merlin asked curiously as to what could possibly induce this type of punishment. 

What a horrible thing has Harry been doing that made her think that scarring a child's hand was the correct punishment? He read the words on Harry’s hand, _‘I must not tell lies,’_ what was he lying about that was so serious. 

“Umbridge was saying that Dumbledore and I are liars and that we are crazy about thinking that Volde-The dark lord, sorry, is coming back. every time I try to tell her that she is wrong, I get detention. And the tension seems fairly easy at first because she just told me I had to write lines. Even though she made me write, I must not tell lies. I thought it wasn’t so bad. Until she didn’t give me any ink. And then as I was writing, I realized the quill was using my blood as ink instead, and it started to scar on my hand.” Harry finished off quietly. 

Blood quills? **BLOOD QUILLS!** When did blood quills become a form of punishment? Didn’t she know that blood quills after using it a certain number of times the scar becomes permanent? It was only ever used between goblins and wizards to sign official documents in blood. Otherwise, they were considered sort of dark in nature, and witches and wizards tended to shy away from the dark things. What teacher thought that that was a good idea? Who decided to let this woman around children? Oh, hell no. Merlin was not gonna let this go. 

“Blood quills as a form of punishment; you hear something new every day. Who elected this woman as a teacher? Who thought it was a good idea to let this woman around children? Can someone answer these questions?” Merlin asked. 

Remus looked murderous, but Merlin’s hand was still heavy on his shoulder. 

“Well, you remember Harry’s trial, that she was appointed the new defense against dark arts teacher and high inquisitor from the ministry of magic, but once Dumbledore disappeared, she became the headmistress. And now she owns the school. The Slytherin's all work for her, and the rest of the school is in panic. She’s a big bully.” Hermione answers Merlin’s questions as best as she could.

“The ministry of magic decided this was a good idea? What says does the ministry of magic have in schooling? Shouldn't the government be separated from the school at least a little bit?” Merlin wondered out loud to himself. 

“Okay, I help you,” Merlin stated. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all gaped at him. 

“Help how?” Ron asked. 

“Well, easy. Harry, show me your hand once more.” Merlin said, pulling out his cell phone. 

Harry did as instructed, and Merlin took a few photos. While taking the photos, Merlin remembered something he was curious about.

“Oh yeah, Harry, where is your computer or phone? All I see our kids using quills and paper, I don’t see any computers or cell phones at all.” Merlin asked. 

“That's another thing Professor Umbridge confiscated all electronics. She took all of them the moment she became headmistress. And it’s not like we can do anything about it.” Hermione said, getting annoyed that her new computer was taken away from her. 

“Excuse me? She did what? How did she rationalize that out?” Merlin said. 

“Well, she explained that the computer and the cell phones were ‘Muggle technology’ and we didn’t need to know about Muggle technology, so she said they were banned from school and confiscated all of them.“ Hermione said, reciting the utter bullshit that she heard. 

“I’m pretty sure she just wanted to cut off communication from the school. Because while we send owls instead of using the Muggle technology, owls are easier to track than this new technology. So I’m pretty sure she’s reading all the letters that are going out and coming in.” Hermione explained. 

“Yeah, she almost caught snuffles in a fire call; she’s definitely watching any information that goes out of Hogwarts,” Harry added. 

“Snuffles? Who’s that?” Merlin asked. 

Harry didn’t say anything, though. He suddenly became tight-lipped. 

“Sirius Black,” Remus answered very quietly. 

“Professor! You can’t tell him!” Harry looked betrayed, Ron and Hermione looked shocked as well. 

“It’s alright he’s met him,” Remus says. 

All three children looked dumbfounded. 

“You meet him? Why? I thought no one was supposed to know.” Harry said, confused. 

“Oh, I think there's a misunderstanding. I joined the order.” Merlin said nonchalantly. 

This time Remus chided him, though, 

“Myridian, you're not supposed to tell anyone. Keep your voice quieter.” 

Merlin just rolled his eyes but said nothing further. While he understands the secrecy, he hates it. 

“Well, with this and I assume your testimonies, we can get her fired and out of there,” Merlin said, trying to assure the children that things will get better. 

But the children didn’t look convinced. 

“Mr. Emrys, sir, have you not been keeping up with the daily prophet? Every single paper calls Harry and Dumbledore a liar. Nobody’s going to believe them, unfortunately.” Hermione said sadly. 

“Well, if the legal way doesn’t work, I can always just break into Hogwarts and drag the toad out myself.” Merlin queried out loud. 

Everyone at the table looked at him like he was nuts. 

“ _You will what_?” Remus asked. 

“You own a business; you should be getting into duels with Ministry officials. Even if they deserve it.” Remus said, ever the mediator. 

“Oh, it’s not like anyone will know; I’ll be in and out quickly. I’ll just put her somewhere where she can’t harm anyone and no legal fuss. Honestly, that seems the better option.” Merlin mused.

Harry Potter started to agree, and Ron was on board. 

“No matter how horrible she is, you can’t just kidnap her and leave her somewhere. She’ll come back, and then you’ll be in so much trouble.” Hermione worried. 

“And you also can’t do that because what if you end up in jail for kidnapping the headmistress of Hogwarts and a ministry official,” Remus stressed again. 

“Ugh, your no fun. But I’m not letting this go. I’ll head to the Ministry tomorrow. We can make a complaint at the Auror department. We can ask Kingsley, right?” Merlin asked Remus. 

“We can do that. He probably will help.” Remus said, agreeing; honestly, he was just trying to get Merlin off the path of kidnapping anyone. 

Merlin smirked, 

“Okay, we’ll go tomorrow; I guess we’ll keep in touch via owls. But you said fire calls work too, right?” Merlin asked. 

“They work but, it’s dangerous. Umbridge can listen in,” Harry said worriedly. 

Merlin just waved it off, 

“Oh, don’t worry. I know a way how to get around that little issue. I’ll update you late tomorrow night by fire call or the next day by an owl. I have my own ways to encrypt messages.” Merlin says. 

There were a lot of old magic spells that only allowed certain people to access things, almost like blood-binding books and such. Normally you would need blood to do that sort of thing, but Merlin can figure it out if he pours enough power into it. I mean, that’s how he fixes most of his problems. Now the issue was getting her fired and fast. 

Still holding Harry’s hand from earlier, Merlin pulls out his wand and points at Harry’s hand. He’s still shite at healing spells, but at least he’s gotten better than when he was very young. Now while the sort of scar generally couldn’t be healed. Since it’s almost like a curse, yet like he said before, as long as he pours enough power into it, anything can happen. And so he recites one of the old spells which are just adding onto the power, though he does it quietly not to give anything away. 

And magically, Harry’s hand is healed, with unblemished skin. The pain is gone, and his skin looks like the scar was never there. Remus looked shocked. Not so shocked that Merlin could do healing magic, many witches and wizards learned it just in case during the first war. But the fact that he could do it so well. The power Merlin had sometimes shocked Remus and made him glad that he was a good man and on the light side. 

“Well, there you go. I took a picture, so no need to stay in pain. If she does it again, owl me right away, but for now, stay out of trouble for a few days if you can. I just need a few days to start an investigation. You don’t need to get involved at all anymore. Actually, it’s better if you avoided doing anything with umbrage for the next few days if you can.” Merlin warned. 

“Well, that’s a little hard. I have detention tonight.” Harry said sadly while rubbing his hand. 

Remus looked murderous again, and Merlin wasn’t much better. This woman felt no guilt at doing this again and again, even after such a nasty scar formed. Merlin tried to think of a spell that he could do, but all that was coming to mind was protection spells. They would stop him from getting harmed, but he couldn’t really mimic the effects of the blood quill. 

In the end, though, he pulled out his wand one more time. Again he wordlessly cast a spell; the scar reappeared, but there was no pain this time; it was just an illusion. And he placed protection spells over Harry’s body. 

Not feeling quite done with that yet, Merlin cast across  _ every student _ in the bar another set of protection spells. No one was the wiser to what he did. But it took a little bit out of him. Since they were old spells, and also because he cast about 30 of them at once. He could probably cast it on the whole student body, but he might faint after doing that. For now, every student in this bar was protected for the next week. 

Merlin sat down heavily. 

“You should be good. I cast an allusion to making it look like you have the scar on your hands still. While I also cast a protection charm over your whole body, so should you use the quill again, you should be fine.” Merlin said, smiling. 

Remus and Hermionie were shocked while Harry and Ron were in awe. 

“That’s bloody awesome. You should be our defense teacher.” Ron said. 

While Harry said "Thanks" breathlessly.

“Ah, thanks, but no thanks. I’m not good at teaching, plus I’d rather teach charms or maybe History of magic, maybe even muggle studies. But defense against the dark arts isn’t my favorite.” Merlin told the disappointed children.

Merlin knew enough to teach defense against the dark arts, but it wasn’t really his favorite subject when he went to Hogwarts. He loved charms and the History of magic because those were the subjects he was the best at. 

“Anyway, let us go and get things rolling here, buy some candy before you go back,” Merlin said, handing each kid a gallon before waving and leaving Remus to say his goodbyes. 

Now Merlin was off to cause some chaos in the Ministry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While obviously, the story is not following the exact storyline of the books, it will include major plot points. So like all the major fights and big turning points in the original story are going to appear. Just to give a frame of reference of where my story is taking place. Also, Merlin is going to be involved in some of these things, so I should mention them. But like I said previously, this story is focused around Merlin, not Harry Potter, so while I'm not writing anything about Harry Potter. It doesn't mean it's not happening in the background. 
> 
> I thought I should just clarify that in case some people didn't understand why I don't write about it. I feel like since JK Rowling already wrote Harry Potter, what's the point of me rewriting what she wrote. Cuz everyone who's reading the story must have finished the books or at least watch the movies because there's going to be spoilers, just FYI, if you hadn't noticed. So there's no need for me to reiterate what everyone's already read or watched. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy these two chapters and tell me what you think about them. I love the feedback that I received for this story because everyone is just so engaged, and they really like the idea, so I'm happy, and I see that you're happy, so I hope you enjoy reading whatever chapters are to come. 
> 
> Also, a little side note, I will be writing three books in the series. The first book will end when the Order of the Phoenix ends. So the second book will start with the Half-Blood Prince. But I'll give everybody plenty of warnings when I'm starting a new book, so nobody gets lost. And as long as you comment on the chapter, I could always send you the link for the new book if you, for some reason, can't find it whenever I post it. 
> 
> Also, saying this now makes me feel like I'm getting closer to this book's end, which is just so crazy.


	16. I’m upset with some of y’all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not a chapter and we will be removed once the next chapter is written but for now here it is

Hello, this is the author. This is not a chapter update. And I will probably delete this before posting the next chapter. 

  
I have a few bones to pick with some people on the story. I love your comments. But there are some comments I don’t love. I generally tend to keep an open mind and accept any comments, even if they annoy the fuck out of me. 

But there’s a point where I’ll get annoyed as well, and I won’t be able to keep quiet about it.   
This is that point.   
  


For this story mainly, my other stories get this a little bit. But for this story, most people like to nitpick little things. If I have a big mistake, I’m grateful that people are pointing it out.

But you got to understand that when you see a mistake, five people have already pointed it out to me. And if I didn’t fix it after those five people pointed it out to me, it means that it’s something that takes too long to fix so that I will get to it later. Or it’s not extremely relevant to the progression of the story.

For example: Yes, I know in the first few chapters the part where Merlin is riding the goblin cart down into the bank it’s not a roller coaster because he’s never been on one, and they didn’t exist when he was in prison for 500 years. Yes, I know. I would like to change it to him, imagining it was a dragon that he was sitting on instead of a roller coaster, but that’s an issue that’s not important to the story, and I could leave it till editing for later. But I know this mistake exists because ten people have pointed it out to me. I get a comment about that every single week.   
  


Another example: Yes, I know that my historical facts are wrong. I have already told some people in the first two chapters, but I don’t know the history. I know little bits and pieces of it. But any history that I am putting into the story is thought of off the top of my head. But like I said before, I explained it to these people that know I will not be fixing it right now. I am currently writing the story and these little nitpick facts are not important to the general storyline. “Oh my god, did I say that there was a picture taken in the 18th-century ooooops?” Did I know cameras didn’t exist in the 18 century, yeah? But did I really remember it for this story? No. Could I easily replace it with a painting? Yeah, I could.   
  
Both of those examples help with the immersion of the story. But they don’t really affect the overarching storyline. I just got some historical facts wrong. Or I forgot something. I get it. Stop telling me about it, please.   
  


I wouldn’t even post this chapter normally, but it’s getting on my nerves, and it’s really unmotivating me to do anything. If people are so nitpicky continuously, I just will stop posting this story. I’m doing this for myself and for my own enjoyment, and if I’m not enjoying it anymore, I’m just not going to write it anymore.

One last thing to say to the people who are telling me that my story is boring or they don’t like certain aspects of my story. Well, too fucking bad I’m not writing the story for you personally. As I said, it’s a story for myself. It’s not like I’m selling this to the public; I don’t have to make this story for someone else. This is a story that is free for everyone to read, and it’s for myself.

Also, for the person who told me that they hope this story isn’t only about Merlin expanding his business. Well, even if it is, why are you complaining about it? If you don’t like the story, don’t read it. If it’s not up to your preferences, click away. I’m not forcing you to read my story.   
  


That’s all I have to say for all those who just comment lovely comments and who aren’t too nitpicky thanks. But I’m getting fed up sometimes. I appreciate the comments, but after getting hundreds of comments telling me how I’m doing everything wrong, it gets annoying. I hope you can see what I’m getting at.   
  


-Jenelle the Author 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this probably won’t stop people from commenting. But I hope people just become more aware of it because it’s really annoying.


	17. You Think You Can Ban Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am extremely sleep-deprived at the moment. I have had 3 hours of sleep in the time span of three days. I just so I'm busy during the weekend and the moment Monday started I became super busy and didn't have time for any sleep. 
> 
> I've only had an hour of sleep from yesterday till today. And honestly, I could fall asleep right now. But I kind of want to update. Because I want to go to sleep with a clear mind and even though this is just for fun it kind of bugs me because I always update after I write and it's already been like a few hours since I've finished these chapters. I'm uploading two by the way. I went on a writing spree and I'm really excited about the story so I've been writing a lot.

Once Merlin and Remus left, they headed straight to the store. Merlin’s workroom turned into their base of operations. Remus was pacing, trying to think of a way to fire Umbridge, but there was nothing he could do because of his werewolf status, and it frustrates him to no end. He felt useless. Merlin really wanted to go in and cause havoc, but he wasn’t sure if he should do it physically or politically. Physically he could go into Hogwarts and drag the old hag out by her hair and probably get arrested with her. But that option was fun if a bit reckless.

The other option he’s been thinking about is probably the one he has to go with, unfortunately. It’s less fun but should have the same result. Worrying about what Hermione said when she said that umbrage in the ministry was slandering Harry Potter and Dumbledore, that could make the claim of the blood quills called out as fake. As terrible as that is, they might not be able to get anything out of that even though they have a piece of picture evidence. Also, since Muggle technology isn’t too widely accepted yet, it’ll probably be difficult to use that evidence as evidence. 

But there was one thing that Umbridge did, but she probably shouldn’t have done. But we can understand why she went through the trouble of doing it, but she could get in trouble legally because of it. Schools could ban objects; I mean, the amount of wizarding prank tools that they have banned in Hogwarts is off the charts, literally. And they could also confiscate items. It’s all legal. But to completely isolate the whole student population, the most important customers for this product, Merlin feels like it’s a personal attack against him.  _ Merlin feels so deeply hurt that this woman is willing to attack him in his new start-up business. He’s just so deeply hurt by it that he’s going to sue her ass. _

Of course, Merlin really doesn’t give a shit. He’s a little upset that she banned all of his products. And since this is the only way he could bring her down, she’s going down. Merlin also finds it rude that she just stole all of the student's electronics and told him that Muggle tech isn’t important. It was basically a ‘fuck you’ to his business, and he was upset with that. So while he wasn’t  _ deeply hurt _ , he was pissed, and he would use his full status as a  _ fake _ pureblood to ruin her. 

Merlin subsequently told his plan to Remus; Remus was upset that they couldn’t charge her for the abuse, not that they wouldn’t try. But Merlin’s main goal was to just get her out of the school so that no more  _ detentions  _ could take place. Merlin called Kingsley the next morning, asking him to come to the shop because he had a problem that needed an Auror. Kingsley rushed, thinking it was a fight or something but looked confused when Merlin just opened the shop doors, looking no worse for wear. 

“Are you all right?” Kingsley asked, looking for signs of danger. 

“No. We have a problem; please come in.” Merlin said, leading Kingsley into his shop.

It was closed for business at the moment, but these employees were currently getting the shop ready for business. And when Merlin walked in with Kingsley, the others were curious, to say the least. 

But one word from Merlin made them let it go for now,  “No one comes into my workroom, please,” was all Merlin had to say. 

Kingsley was getting more confused by the minute. But he confidently followed Merlin all the way into the workroom. 

“So Mr. Emrys, I can’t seem to see the problem, is there a reason I was called here?” Kingsley asked once the door was closed. 

He noticed Remus in the room, but for as long as he’s known Myridian, Remus has always been next to him, so he assumed that they were both supposed to be here for this. 

“Well, nothing wrong with us specifically. It concerns Harry Potter and the well-being of the rest of the student body of Hogwarts.” Merlin said, leaning against his desk. 

Kingsley stood a bit straighter and looked concerned. The worry that he had originally for Merlin’s well-being suddenly shifted to the students' well-being at Hogwarts. 

“Please explain in detail,” Kingsley asked. 

So Merlin did. He told Kingsley all about the conversation he had with Harry Potter the day before. He showed him the picture of the scar that was carved into Harry Potter‘s hand. He told the stories that Hermione and Ron told him about what was happening inside the school. Merlin told Kingsley about the abusive detention punishments and the horrid things that were going on in Hogwarts. He even told Kingsley about how the communications were being filtered and how the Muggle technology was being confiscated. And by the end, Kingsley looked disgusted. The fact that all this was going on and nobody knew, and those poor children were going through all these terrible things. Of course, Kingsley would help. It would be his honor. Or at least that’s what he said. 

And so they worked out probably one of the best damn defenses ever to grace a courtroom. And once they were prepared, they quickly headed over to the ministry of magic, and Kingsley used a few of his connections to get a trial for today. But after he explained what the trial was going to be about, he was quickly moved through the system as it was very urgent and something that needed to be dealt with fast or a lot of angry parents we’re going to have a hissy fit in the wizarding government. 

And so was the court session underway. With Dolores Umbridge stuck doing something apparently important at Hogwarts where she couldn’t attend this trial about her. The kind ministry of magic Cornelius Fudge offered to step in on her behalf. Later he would soon regret this decision. But at the moment, he was happy to be there for his old beloved undersecretary. 

Normally it would take a minimum of a week for a trial like this to be put underway, but the urgency of the situation proceeded to push past the courtroom's normal proceedings. When the judge saw the evidence in the form of the picture, she was quite ready to just declare Umbridge a criminal and arrest her. But unfortunately, for matters such as these, they actually needed to hold a trial. Yet the urgency was still needed hence the very rushed and hastily put together trial. 

Not too much, unlike the last trial Merlin was a part of; his charisma and sheer power behind his words stole the courtroom in minutes. Of course, Merlin was speaking for himself. Because he knew what he needed to get across the best, and he had years and literally eons of time to prepare for public speaking. He literally wrote speeches for a king; no one was more eloquently spoken than Merlin himself. 

The main topic of the trial was putting Umbridge away in prison. Even if they couldn’t for some reason get her with the evidence they had with using the blood quills, Merlin was going to take her down in one way or another. While the main focus of the meeting wasn’t about the latter half of what Merlin talked about in the trial, he did bring up the absolute shunning of his Muggle technology and the audacity that she had to shun his business. 

Though he did alienate himself from some of the purebloods when he started preaching Muggle ideas, Merlin was a big fan of Muggles. There was no contest there. Considering the fact that he repeatedly stated to many people over the years that there would be no one he would fight for other than Arthur and Arthur was a Muggle. Probably the greatest Muggles ever live in Merlin's eyes, but a Muggle nonetheless.

While Merlin could talk forever, he did understand the urgency of this trial and sped up his side of the argument. But it did go on for a while as he was starting to enjoy himself as he was watching the Minister of Magic‘s face slowly filling with dread as the charges kept getting laid on. Merlin bets that the minister of magic is greatly regretting supporting and standing in for this woman. But he deserves any and all blame that gets thrown on him because he’s the one who allowed this shit to happen in the first place. 

What is the point of a high inquisitor when there were really not too many bad things happening in Hogwarts? The murderous defense against the dark arts teachers were situations that should’ve been avoided, and so were the other things that can be seen as problematic. But adding another problem to a school that’s full of problems is not the solution, and why anyone thought it was should be punished. 

The minister of magic, Cornelius fudge, didn’t even have a defense. Either he was ill-informed about the situation going on at Hogwarts, or he just didn’t care; he was utterly dumbfounded and quite shocked at how the case was continuing and how the courtroom was being swayed not in his favor. He tried to grasp at straws, but he was fighting a losing battle at this point. 

All too soon, the trial was brought to a close, and the decision was made.

“The final verdict is Delores Umbridge is found guilty of negligence of child welfare and abhorrent abuse of children under her care as well as abuse of power over children and fellow teachers. I sentence you to 5 years in Azkaban, by unanimous agreement.” The presiding judge declares to the courtroom. 

“We did it!!!” Merlin exclaimed. Remus took a deep breath in the back of the courtroom. Merlin is practically hopping with joy. He clapped Kingsley on the shoulder. Originally he was gonna just sue the horrible woman, but he forgot all about that nifty spell. Showing other people your own memories, it was brilliant. While it was all smiles on Merlin’s side, the Minister of Magic looked like he was gonna pop a vein on this forehead. His face was a deep red, and he looked like he wanted to strangle Merlin from across the courtroom. Merlin noticed Fudge and began smirking at him, which made him look downright evil. Still, hey, this Minister let Umbridge get away with abusing children, so evil or not, Merlin is the hero in this scenario. 

Now with Umbridge sentenced to Azkaban and the school being transferred back to Dumbledore since anything spouted out of Umbridge’s mouth now holds no value, things were looking up tonight. It seems the kids at Hogwarts were going to wake up to a good surprise tomorrow. Merlin secretly hoped the kids would get to witness Auror's dragging Umbridge from the castle. But he doubted it. 

Merlin wanted nothing more than to let sleep take him for the next few days, but he got an odd phone call from Dumbledore asking him to meet him at the entrance to the Ministry of Magic. He still had some stuff to finish with Kingsley, but Remus told him to go take care of business with Dumbledore, and he would handle anything Kingsley had for Merlin.

Merlin thanked Remus and was off to see what Dumbledore wanted. While Remus followed Kingsley back down into the Auror department. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I actually had this chapter and the next chapter as one complete chapter but honestly it was like 15 pages long and I was like that's a lot so I decided to split them. And it was a lot of ideas rolling around at once. So I think splitting them was the better option. 
> 
> Also, I'm really looking forward to the next chapter and what you guys think about it because it is interesting!


	18. A Wizard On The Loose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter. The story is really starting to progress. I also realized that if you are following the Order of the Phoenix, my story is kind of not in the correct order, but it doesn't really matter. 
> 
> Listen, I read the book a long time ago, and I don't really remember what happened. I only remember the gist of it. And it's not like I'm going to reread the whole series just to get a better understanding of it. If I really need to know things, I just Google it, but then I still forget it sometimes. 
> 
> Anyway, I think you guys will really like this chapter. Also, the latter half of the chapter was written by my sleep-deprived mind, but I actually really liked how it turned out.

Kingsley led Remus back down to the Auror department; practically, the whole ministry was a buzz; hearing about somebody winning against the minister of magic in a courtroom is rare. People normally didn’t sue him in the first place. Also, all the rumors and speculation on how Merlin is Bring the wizarding world upside down. 

Kingsley didn’t need much from Remus. He just needed a signature or two, stating that the evidence came from Merlin's party and to secure it and make sure it got in a place where nobody could tamper with it even though the case was over; he didn’t want anyone trying to file a re-trial because they screwed with the evidence that he was supposed to keep in a tight, secure location. 

And he just wanted someone there to witness where he put it. And to make sure that everything was what Merlin wanted it to look like. And while he can’t have Merlin because apparently, he’s busy, Remus is the next best thing and luckily just as invested, if not more, for the sake of Harry Potter.

While heading down and through the department, Something quite particular caught Remus’ eye. It was so particular the fact that he caused him to stop dead in his tracks and stare at a moving picture. It was a picture of a memory. But a picture nonetheless. Kingsley noticed his movement and turned to see what he was looking at. 

“Ah, that is who we suspect escaped from Azkaban. We don’t know if he’s a death eater or not. But we don’t even know what he’s serving time for in Azkaban in the first place, so our chances of finding this wayward prisoner are looking like it’s going to be a hassle. It’s like the people who took down his information were as incompetent as ever. No name, no charge, no date, he entered the prison with nothing taken down about him. And there’s no way he just crawled himself into Azkaban. I mean, who would want to even go there and for what purpose, willingly? I don’t think anyone will willingly put themselves in the cell that he was supposed to be in. I heard two Auror’s went crazy trying to find the cell that he was supposed to be in, let alone having stayed there for any number of years. Oh, by the way, this is confidential information. I trust you, Remus, but for now, let’s keep this to ourselves and not let the media run with it.” Kingsley said after rambling a bit, there weren't many people he could share this information with, so he got a little carried away. 

Remus heard most of it, but he was frozen. There’s no way that could be anyone but **him**. The man in that picture is someone he’s seen before. It’s someone he sees on a regular basis. **It’s Myridian Emrys.** Because he remembers a man coming into his shop all those months ago. He remembers what he was wearing. He remembers that person in the photograph staring at him right now. He remembers because that person changed his life for the better, but he still remembers. And it was causing quite a dilemma in Remus’ head. 

It could be nobody other than Myridian; the clothes are exactly the same. The face is exactly the same. The eyes are exactly the same. The dirty appearance is exactly the same on the day they first met. Everything about that picture just screams Remus’ first meeting with Merlin. But he was trying so hard in his mind to just say, ‘ _ it could be someone else _ .’ 

So he asks,

“This is the guy? You’re sure?“ 

Kingsley smiled,

“Yes, we are almost positive this is the guy who escaped with the death eaters. But like I said, we don’t know if he is a death eater as well or if he’s just your regular mass murderer. We don’t know anything about him, and it terrifies us a little bit. There is absolutely no information about why he was in Azkaban. But he was definitely the person that escaped, no doubt. The information lines up too perfectly for it to be anyone else but him. But by now, he could’ve changed his appearance and could be anywhere in the world. Until we find out more information about him, I doubt we’re going to find him anytime soon.” Kingsley says, sighing, not realizing the inner turmoil it is causing Remus at the moment.

The reason it was giving him such a big problem was because there is no doubt in Remus’ mind that the person in that photograph could be anyone but Myridian Emrys. He remembers meeting this man all those months ago. Remus doesn’t understand why he never clicked the puzzle together. It’s sort of made sense, Merlin not having a very good backstory, let alone creating it from scratch only a few months ago. Merlin’s lack of knowledge about anything that’s going on in the world sometimes. Merlin having zero friends other than himself. It makes so much sense now that he sees the whole picture. 

But much like Kingsley, Remus can’t even fathom why Merlin would be in Azkaban in the first place. Merlin is probably one of the most cheerful and good people Remus has ever met in his whole life. He’s so smart yet playful it just doesn’t make sense. 

In his fog of confusion, he let something he didn’t mean to say slip. Because even though Remus recognizes it is Myridian, he wouldn’t betray him so suddenly. Remus couldn’t. He owes Merlin too much even if he was a crazy killer; Myridian has grown too much on him. It was a bit scary how charismatic and trustworthy Myridian was in his eyes. 

But he did let something slip. One sentence, barely that even.

“Oh, that guy.”

It wasn’t even anything except to Kingsley. Kingsley recognized that Remus recognized the man. He put the pieces in his brain together faster than anyone else would. Remus stopping in his tracks, staring at the photo, asking questions about something that he wasn’t really involved in. Remus recognized the man in that photo, and Kingsley was going to get to the bottom of it.

“Oh, you recognize him?” Kingsley said simply.

Remus quickly stopped looking and tried to compose himself, but it was too late. Kingsley’s look changed from a happy friend to a serious Auror. Remus physically and audibly gulped. 

“No, not exactly...it’s not...I don’t….ugh.” Remus didn’t exactly know what to say; he was still a little shocked that Myridian was the person who escaped from Azkaban with all the death eaters. 

He was so shocked that his mouth didn’t really catch up with his brain because his brain wasn’t even caught up itself. 

“Remus, this person could be potentially hazardous. Any information that you have, you must tell me. Withholding any information could lead me to suspect you along with him. We don’t know if he was responsible for the breakout or if he works with death eaters. Anything Remus, you have to tell me every little detail.” Kingsley implored. 

Remus was at a standstill here because while he wanted to help Kingsley, he also couldn’t say anything. He really couldn’t betray Merlin. There was nothing anyone could do to make him betray Merlin. Also, even if it’s true, which he can’t really wrap his mind around, he doesn’t believe Merlin is a bad person no matter what he did or where he escaped from. He made his mind up right then and there that no matter what happened to him, he wouldn’t betray Merlin. _And that scared him a little bit inside._

But he had to answer something; otherwise, Kingsley would start interrogating him for real, and he wasn’t really too keen on that happening. He also wasn’t keen on Merlin coming here to see why he was taking so long, either. Remus sighed deeply, collecting himself and preparing himself to tell a lie. 

“Alright...it just shocked me. I met him. Months ago. Actually, now that I think about it, probably on the day of his escape. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I honestly didn’t hear about the mass breakout until a week later. I don’t really keep up with the Daily Prophet.” Remus said, getting slightly off-topic. 

But the glare Kingsley sent his way snapped him back into it. 

“Sorry, sorry, I only met him briefly. I almost forgot about him until I saw the picture. Everything just clicked. I was wondering why the story sounded familiar the last time I came in here. It’s because I did meet this person. He came by the storage building for the ministry, my old job.” 

Remus offered, but now the lying happens, 

“This was maybe a month before I met Myridian. He came to the storage unit and asked about directions, and I told him where to go. I can’t exactly remember the place he was going to, just that it was close by. Honestly, there’s not much more I could tell you. I barely remember any of it. I didn’t think it was important, so I didn’t think to remember it. Sorry, Kingsley, that's all I have. But I can’t believe I met someone who escaped from Azkaban. Well, actually, I guess this is my second time meeting someone like that.” Remus corrects himself thinking of Sirius. 

For now, the lie that Remus had told convinced Kingsley. It was enough of the truth that the lie blended so well. But Kingsley had a suspicion that something was left out. But he didn’t push it. While this investigation was important, precaution and slow calculations were better than rushed movements at this point. And what was the gain for Remus if he was secretly hiding information? Remus was a good man and a great member of the order; there would be no reason why he would hide any information. That’s why Kingsley was more inclined to believe him. 

“Well, that’s farther than we were before. Anyway, let’s get to filling out the paperwork for the trial, and maybe you can jot down any information you remember about the man, and then we can leave. It’s been a long day.” Kingsley offered, dropping in the interrogation for now. 

There was a big win today, and they were both exhausted. Everything is better looked out with a fresh mind, or at least that’s what Kingsley thought. 

Yeah, having a nice long sleep tonight would be great. It sounded like a plan. 

_ Hopefully, nothing disturbs their sleep  _ because they need it.

_ At the same time, the trial that would be incriminating Dolores Umbridge was going on; three students were sat alone in the Gryffindor common room discussing things… _

“Should we tell them about it, Harry? He seems like he’s on our side. Not all adults are untrustworthy.” Hermione whispered in the empty common room. 

“Yeah, Harry, he’s practically a kid. He’s only a few years older than us, right? My dad trusts him, and didn't he let slip that he’s a part of the order. Like the one Dumbledore and Sirius work for?” Ron speaks just as quietly.

“But Dumbledore is….mm… I don’t know; he’s distant. Then he gets chased out of the school. I don’t know who to trust.” Harry frowns. 

“Well, he seems sincere enough. I mean, if he gets Umbridge fired, somehow, then telling him won’t matter, right?” Hermione asks. 

“Well yeah, Mionie, once the toad is gone, the DA is basically just a club,” Ron says a little too loudly in the quiet room.

“Be quiet, Ron, you’ll get us caught; remember the recent curfew rules?” Hermionie quietly yells. 

Harry runs his hand over his scar; it’s been giving him a headache for a few hours now. His Occlumency lessons with Snape were doing nothing for him. If Umbridge was a horrible teacher and headmistress, then Snape was an even worse teacher to be teaching Occlumency one on one to Harry. 

It wasn’t like he wasn’t trying to learn; it was just that Snape was his teacher. And can you imagine how terrible that was going? 

“Well, I wonder how much longer it’s gonna be? I’m sleepy.” Ron says, yawning. 

Ron leans against the leg of a chair by the fireplace. Harry shrugged his shoulders, copying his movements leaning against the other leg. 

“Gosh, you two,” Hermionie says, trying to keep her composure, but she yawns a moment later herself. 

She squeezed herself between them and leaned back, watching the fire as it danced in the fireplace in front of them. 

All too soon, the golden trio was fast asleep, mesmerized by the exotic dancing of the flames as they burned the limitless supply of wood in the fireplace. 

_ Later that night….. _

Sweat drips down his forehead as his eyes roll around behind his eyelids. His breath starts coming in short gasps as he starts to twist and turn. The pain radiating from his forehead is immeasurable and intense. Harry Potter is having a nightmare. But a nightmare so realistic and terrifying that it sends chills down his spine and makes him physically shiver even though he’s sitting right next to a roaring fire. Lately, he’s been having glimpses of events that are happening around him but too far away from him to be physically near. 

Well, no, that’s not exactly it. He’s not having visions of the future or anything so fake. No, he keeps dreaming of things that are happening but not something he would witness with his own two eyes; it looked like he was seeing it through someone else’s eyes. At first, he wasn’t sure whose, but as the nightmares continued, he started to have a terrible feeling, especially when he started to recognize people in these nightmares. 

At the very beginning, it was just a room in front of a roaring fire and nothing else, and nobody else. But as the nightmares continued, he started seeing old enemies; but it was weird because they were in places he’s never been to, and they looked different from how he last saw them; they looked to have aged and changed appearances.

The main reason why these nightmares were so terrifying was that they felt so real. Like he was witnessing something that really happened, but it couldn’t be because they were just nightmares. They had to just be nightmares because Harry had never been to these places and never had these conversations with these people. It was just a horrible creation of his imagination, _or at least that’s what he thought it was._

It wasn’t until Wormtail spoke back to the eyes he was looking out from. It wasn’t until he said that detestable word, it wasn’t until he called them by that phrase, it wasn’t until Harry heard the word ‘ _ Master’ _ that something clicked.

That maybe this wasn’t a nightmare anymore. But what if it could be a reality that he was tapping into. Maybe not his life he was seeing but someone else’s. Magic can do strange things, unbelievable things. So there was a pretty high chance that Harry Potter could be tapping into Voldemort‘s mind.

Even though Harry doesn’t like to admit it, they share a connection in so many ways. Fate ties their destinies together quite tightly. So what was the possibility that Harry Potter could be seeing into Lord Voldemort’s mind? He was training in Occlumency; maybe he somehow tapped into the Dark Lord‘s train of thought or separate consciousness. The possibilities could be endless with magic and the weird nature of it. 

But as of late, the  _ nightmares _ started to become more sinister. They weren’t just dull meetings or long-term plans anymore. They talked of torture and murder and secrecy, and even the ministry of magic. Harry was starting to see new faces straight out of actual nightmares. Who wouldn’t recognize the faces of the death eaters that were plastered all over the newspapers for months on end, especially since their escape from Azkaban? 

Tonight it was a dream far worse than any of the other ones. It was even worse because he was suspecting that these weren’t dreams. He was suspecting that these were real, and he saw something horrible. Somewhere in the bowels of the ministry of magic lay a room. A room is never seen before, something that wouldn’t even come out of his wildest imagination. A room with shelves up on shows up on shelves of little glass balls with swirling light in them. 

He couldn’t tell you what they were as he's never seen anything like it before. But that wasn’t what the nightmare was focusing on. The thing that was making Harry Potter panic, that was making his body twist and turn, that was making his breath come short. 

The thing that was setting him on edge was the bloodied body of a man lying on the floor, breathing harshly. The cuts along his face and his broken legs were scarred into the mind of Harry Potter. 

If these weren't nightmares if this is real? Sirius was in trouble! He had to wake up now! He had to save him. He couldn’t lose the only semblance of a family he had left. If this is what Voldemort was seeing at the moment, then there was nothing that would stop Harry Potter from going there and saving Sirius. 

**Nothing!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, we will see some battling that I know many people were curious to see what would happen when Merlin fought the Wizards of today. But I guess you'll have to just wait for the next chapter to find out. 
> 
> I was trying to sound all mysterious, but you know what? I haven't written it yet, and I don't know what happens either. lol


End file.
